


Those Times : The Complete Edition

by TheNoca



Series: Those Times Series (DDLC Fanfic Series) [1]
Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Breaking the Fourth Wall, Childhood Friends, Comedy, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cute, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Fantasy, High School, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Multi, Out of Character, Prequel, Season/Series 01, Season/Series 02, Slice of Life, Supernatural Elements, Superpowers, Teenage Drama, Vanilla
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 56
Words: 150,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28109730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNoca/pseuds/TheNoca
Summary: The complete Those Times Edition! This comes with all the chapters from both Those Times With The Dokis and Those Times Towards Graduation. This is easier to upload rather than uploading two volumes separately. So enjoy the fun between Tridon and the Dokis before shit hit the fan. Adventures, vanilla moments, and fourth wall breaks. So enjoy!
Relationships: Monika & Natsuki & Original Character & Sayori & Yuri (Doki Doki Literature Club!)
Series: Those Times Series (DDLC Fanfic Series) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092053
Kudos: 3





	1. Those Times With The Dokis: A New Member

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here are the reuploads for the prequels to Flames Of War. This'll be interesting. Never thought I'd be doing this, but hey, it'll help people see what the prequels are about. So enjoy the prequels as they're uploaded during my break from Flames Of War! The complete edition. Makes me feel special.

Inside a small bedroom, a young teenage boy slept on his bed with his body stretched across it. His pillows were on the ground and with his blanket at the bottom of his bed. Loud snores filled the room while he slobbed endlessly.

"Tridon!" A loud voice called out from outside his house, "Are you awake?!"

"Where's the leak ma'am?" The boy, Tridon, softly moaned as he turned over.

"Tridon come on!" The voice called out again, "We're gonna be late for school!"

The word 'late' echoed through Tridon's ear. His eyes shot open as it echoed once more, "Late!" He yelled.

"He's awake now." Outside his house, a teenage girl with short, coral pink hair. She chuckled and leaned next to his front door, "Usually I'm the one that's up late. Looks like I win today!" The door flew open as Tridon fell out in front of the girl, "Good morning Tridon."

"Good morning Sayori." Tridon responded with his face in the concrete.

The girl, Sayori, looked him up and down before adding, "Your pants are on backwards, that's the wrong blazer, and is that a piece of bread in your hair?" Sayori bent down and took out what was stuck in his hair and nodded, "Nope, just a piece of fluff from you pillow."

"Ah damn." Tridon quickly rolled back into his house with his door closing behind him. In that split-second, he rushed back out and looked at Sayori, "And?"

"Perfect. Almost." Sayori licked her thumb and pressed down some hair that was sticking up, "Now you're good."

"Alright." Tridon looked at his watched and his eyes widened, "We're late!" Tridon grabbed Sayori's wrist to help her get some speed.

_That's me. Tridon. In my 4th year of high school and ready to make this year the best it could ever be! I don't know how, but I'll do it with my best, childhood friend at my side, Sayori._

_I've known Sayori for as long as I can remember remembering. She's been there for me since we were in pre-school and I've been there for her. I doubt anything could separate us. Unless we end up going to different colleges, then yeah. That might separate us._

_However, both Sayori and I have promised to attend the same college so that we can still hang out as always._

* * *

When we arrived at the front gate, we saw the student council president standing at the front, "I forgot that the SCP would stand at the front." Tridon commented, "But we can juke her out right?"

"Maybe you can..." Tridon turned around to see Sayori lagging behind, "But I don't think I can..."

"Oh no." Tridon jogged in place to wait for Sayori to catch up. The student council president watched them from a far and tapped on her watch, "I got it!" Tridon yelled, "Come on Sayori." Tridon looked at his own watch and added, "We still got 3 minutes."

"I don't know if I have 3 minutes of lung capacity left."

"Guh!" Tridon ran back and picked up Sayori, "If only you did sports when you were younger." Tridon ran past the student council president with a strong gust of wind following them.

"You still have less than 270 seconds Tridon!" She yelled back.

"Yeah put a sock in it Tiff!" Tridon yelled back, "We're heading there!"

"I'll ignore that comment..." The president, Tiffany, mumbled under her breath.

"When did you and the president get so close?" Sayori questioned, "Was it because you were the only one that went with her when she wanted to go out and eat ice cream?"

"Yeah I think so." Tridon answered, "She's not a bad person. She just takes her role way too seriously. I'm actually surprised you didn't come with us since you love ice cream and basically anything sweet."

"I had to finish some homework I was shrugging off." Sayori moaned, "Stupid homework." Sayori puffed her cheeks out and crossed her arms.

"Don't fret. I told you that if you ever wanted help with homework to call me. It'll be a regular thing to do if when we attend the same college."

"Oh. Right..."

* * *

_We successfully made to class on time with only seconds to spare. Tired and sweaty, we went on with the day and it went on as usual. Same boring classes and same boring people around me. Apart from Sayori of course. However, as the last bell rung, a book was dropped on my head._

"Finland!" Tridon yelled.

"Tridon," Sayori started, "class is over."

"Oh." Tridon stood up and stretched, "Same stuff, different day."

"Not for long." Sayori gleefully commented.

"Whatchu' talkin' 'bout?" Tridon responded.

"I signed you up for the club I'm in!" Tridon stared at her for a moment and grabbed her shoulders, "Tridon?"

"Sayori." Tridon loathed, "I love you my dearest friend. I really do. But why on earth did you think it was a good idea to do that?!"

"I-I'm sorry! I just wanted to hang out with you more after school." Sayori softly explained, "I thought it'd be nice if it was part of my club."

"You know what? Fine. I'll give it this one chance. If I don't like, I'll jump out the window."

"Uh?"

"Don't worry. This is a story. I can't die unless I'm written off permanently."

"Oh."

* * *

After walking through the school, Sayori chopped Tridon in his sternum to stop him, "Gack!"

"Wait Tridon." Sayori started, "Before we enter, I wanna warn you that the club is filled with only girls. So I just wanted to..." Almost instantly, Tridon ran into the room with Sayori holding a face disappointment, "Warn you..." Sayori followed him inside and only saw one other girl in there, "Huh. Only Monika is here."

"Monika?" Tridon questioned, "I thought she was part of the debate club."

"She was, but she started this club. The Literature Club."

"Literature club?" Tridon rubbed his chin and sat down for a minute. Sayori watched him as Monika joined, "Literature..."

"Hey Sayori." Monika greeted, "Is this your friend?"

"Yeah. The one I told everyone about." The two stared at him while 2 other girls joined in, "Hey you two."

"Hey..." The short, pastel pink hair girl paused when she saw Tridon in deep thought, "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know..." Sayori answered.

"Is this the friend you told us about?" The tall, purple hair girl asked, inciting a nod from Sayori, "Is he okay?"

"I think so."

Tridon slammed his fist on the desk, starling the girls, "A literature club for literature!"

"Is that what he was thinking about?" Monika questioned.

Tridon stood up and sighed, "I was just trying to figure out how I could fit into this club. I write, but believe it or not, I don't read much unless it's something that catches my eye." Tridon turned to the other two girls and looked them up and down, "Who are they?"

"They're Natsuki and Yuri." Sayori answered, "Natsuki is the cute, short one."

"Hey!" Natsuki retorted, "I'm not cute!"

"I would say you are," Tridon interrupted, "but I'm assuming you would kick my shins into oblivion, so I'll keep my comments to myself."

"And the tall, purple-haired beauty is Yuri."

"Nice to meet you Yuri." Tridon held his hand out and Yuri shyly shook it, "Oh no..."

"What?" Yuri quickly asked.

"You're the shy one!" Tridon yelled, "So let me put the pieces together." Tridon stood up and walked over to the window, "We have the childhood friend." Tridon pointed over to Sayori who smiled at him, "Then we have the _possible_ tsundere. Please don't kick my shins." Natsuki puffed her cheeks out and seemed to get her leg ready, "Then the shy, rather beautiful girl is Yuri." Tridon looked at Yuri who proceeded to play with her hair and avoiding his gaze, "Then we have the other beautiful member who I assume is the president, right?"

"That's correct?" Monika smiled brightly as Tridon opened the window, "Uh..."

"Don't worry. I thought about jumping out the window if I wasn't going to like this place, but instead, I'm gonna do something else." Tridon stuck his head out the window and took a deep breath to yell, "Thank you so much!"

"Who is he thanking?" Monika questioned.

"I don't know," Sayori answered, "but I knew he was gonna like this club." Sayori smiled at Tridon who still had his head out the window and a large smile ear to ear.

* * *

At the end of the day, Sayori and Tridon waved off their fellow club members before heading home. Sayori noticed the bright smile on Tridon's face as they walked home, "Did you enjoy it today?"

"I did." Tridon answered, "I'm glad to know someone else other than you is a fan of manga." Tridon chuckled as he tapped his foot on the ground, "She didn't have to kick me for my comment about her being a tsundere though..."

"Well, you told her to do the opposite when you said that, so it was obvious she was gonna do just that."

"Yeah. I guess so."

"What did you think of Yuri?"

"Once you get past her shy exterior, you can get a decent convo out of her, but she shouldn't act so uptight in my opinion."

"Trust me, just getting her out of her shell is hard work enough." Sayori laughed, "We'll have her be a little more laid back." Sayori quickly shot a glance at Tridon and asked, "As for Monika, I saw how you looked at her."

"Ah man, I guess it's easy to see."

"Well obviously. How long have you had a crush on her?"

"I don't know. I think 2nd year?"

"That long huh?" Sayori looked at her bag and added, "You know she's single, right?"

"For real?" Tridon shockingly asked, "I was for sure that she would have a boyfriend. She's practically everything the typical rich, snobby boy would want. Looks, smarts, and just an overall good feeling when you're around her. How could she not?"

"That's exactly why. She doesn't want a snobby rich dude. She wants someone genuine and nice."

"So I have a chance?"

"As long as you don't do anything stupid like that whole thinking tirade, then I think you're fine." Sayori laughed again as she punched Tridon's arm, "You worried me there though. I thought something completely bamboozled you to the point your brain stopped working."

"Nah. I just wanted to figure out a way I could fit in. I know now that I can." The two arrived in front of Tridon's house with Tridon stretching, "Well, I'm heading off now. Are we still up for a day at the arcade this weekend?" Tridon asked.

"That's if I actually do my homework before then."

"I'll help you Friday so we don't have to worry about it at all."

"Sweet!" Sayori hugged Tridon and thanked him, "Thank you so much Tridon."

"No problem. What are best friends for."

"Best childhood friends!" Sayori corrected.

"Right. I'll see ya' tomorrow Sayori." The two waved each other off to rest their bodies for a new semester of fun and adventure. Or craziness. Who knows. Tridon is being written as a weird guy.


	2. Learning About Our New Member

After classes were completed, Tridon and Sayori made their way to the clubroom.

"So what do we do on a typical day?" Tridon wondered, "This is the first time I've heard of a Literature Club at school."

"That's what we're trying to figure it out." Sayori answered, "The club is new and we're trying to figure out what we should do." Sayori sighed and kicked her bag with her knees while they walked, "Most of the time, Natsuki goes off to the corner to read her manga, Yuri reads a book, and Monika tries to figure out how to get more people into the club."

"What do you do?" Tridon questioned.

"I help her." Sayori answered, "I'm the vice president of the club."

"Oh. Can I be co-vice president because I'm your best childhood friend?"

"Not a chance." The two entered the classroom where the others were already siting and doing exactly as Sayori said, "See?"

"You were right." Tridon and Sayori made their way to Monika, "Yo Monika!" Tridon yelled.

"Shut up." Sayori chopped Tridon's chest to shut him up, "Don't yell when she's right in front of you."

"Fine... sorry..."

"It's okay." Monika reassured them, "He's quite the character huh?"

"That's how the writer made me." Tridon commented, "He made me this way."

"Anyway," Sayori interrupted, "what's our plan today?"

"Trying to figure out how to give our club traction." Monika answered, "Most of the people I've gone to only see this club as something for nerds and would be too boring to attend."

"Who said we needed more people?" Tridon wondered, "I thought a club only needed 4 people to be recognized as a club."

"Well," Monika explained, "the student council changed it to 5."

"I'm the 5th one." Tridon interrupted.

"Oh yeah." Monika turned to the chalkboard and wrote each person's name on it, "That is 5 people."

"So does this fix that problem?" Tridon asked inciting a nod from the two heads of the club, "Well there ya' go."

"Well that only fixes a small problem." Sayori commented, "We still need to find topics to get everyone involved." Sayori pointed at the other two who were off in their own worlds reading, "Because right now, it's more like a place where people hang out more than just discuss literature."

"Yeah." Tridon and Monika agree in unison.

"So what do we do?" Sayori wondered, "Any ideas?"

They stood there along the chalkboard brainstorming until Tridon snapped his fingers, "I got it." He stepped in front of the two and explained, "Literature can be split into multiple things, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Like short stories, poems, or even full-fledged novels." Sayori and Monika nodded at Tridon's statement while he continued, "What if we take times every other day to share our work? I know I have a lot, but it might help a certain purple-haired individual break out of her shell completely."

"That could work." Monika commented, "When should we start?"

"How about 2 days from now? Thursday."

"Yeah." Sayori agreed, "We can treat it as a workshop. We can turn something in, give others time to read and review it, then come back to discuss it."

"Yeah." Monika smiled and nodded, "That would be an awesome idea."

"So you two." Tridon pushed the two in front of him and softly said, "Go and tell them the plan."

"Uh, girls?" Sayori called out, "We have an announcement."

"We heard." Natsuki interrupted, "You guys are literally just a few feet from us."

"You know," Tridon interrupted, "now that I think about it, we were rather loud when talking about this stuff."

"Yeah..." The leaders say in unison.

"But I'm down." Natsuki agreed, "I'm not much of a writer, but if this gives me a chance to work on my craft, then by all means." Natuski smirked and stood with fists on her hip, "I can even bring my world famous cupcakes!"

"World famous?" Sayori questioned while her mouth proceeded to salivate.

"Gross..." Tridon closed Sayori's mouth and wiped the saliva that dripped from her mouth, "Uh, can we have something that isn't carb heavy?"

"Why you..." Sayori growled and put Tridon in a headlock, "You're not stopping me from enjoying delicious cupcakes!" Sayori pulled Tridon to the ground while he screamed like a girl.

"Well," Monika continued, "our snacks are taken care of. How about drinks?"

"How about tea?" Yuri offered, "I can prepare tea for these workshops."

"I-I..." Tridon raised his hand while Sayori continued to choke him, "can do tea..."

"That settles it." Monika smiled and said, "This coming Thursday, we will have our first time handing out submissions for our impending workshop!" She looked down at at Sayori who joined her. However, Tridon remained on the ground passed out from the choking, "Be sure to bring any submissions for our workshop so that we can critique your work. Don't be afraid, this will be a great moment to receive constructive criticism for your work!"

"I guess we should thank," Sayori bent down and picked up Tridon, "our new club member Tridon for this suggestion."

"Glad I could help..." Tridon weakly stated, "I'm here always..." Sayori dropped him on the floor as she continued her speech, "Ouch..."

"So for Thursday, we expect some cupcakes, tea, and some submissions for a group workshop session!"

"Wait!" Tridon shot his hand up and proceeded to speak while moving his hand to go with his words, "Can I make another suggestion?"

"What is it?" Monika wondered.

"Can we liven this place up a little or go somewhere it doesn't seem so... bland?"

"What's wrong with the classroom?" Sayori questioned, "It's not like we can go anywhere else Tridon."

"We could always go outside and take in the nice air. When it gets too cold or if the weather is bad, we can come back in and spend time in here." Tridon hopped up and fixed himself, "When I read, I wanna be comfortable. I mean, who doesn't?" The girls nodded in agreement while he continued, "What's more comfortable than unwinding outside and just taking in the nice summer breeze before it becomes fall. Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're not." Monika answered, "Well, what do you girls say? Should our sessions be moved outside?" They all nodded with Monika nodding as well, "Then it's settled. Wow Tridon. You really know how to take charge huh?"

"Not really." Tridon retorted, "Besides, being outside makes it easier for me not to jump out that window."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You know," Sayori interrupted, "Why don't we go outside now?" Sayori skipped over to window and stared outside, "The weather is amazing right now. At the end of summer, the air starts to cool, but not too much. So it's perfectly warm with some nice puffy clouds outside."

"She does have a point." Natsuki joined Sayori by the window and stared outside too, "The weather is nice for just talking. Since the whole workshop thing is Thursday, who said we had to enjoy this weather later and not now?"

"I agree." Yuri added, "Nothing is better than nice weather. Especially for reading."

"Well, if we're out there today, we can't separate ourselves to read in a corner or alone." Monika shot a glance at Natsuki and Yuri before turning to Tridon, "Since our new member today did quite a bit to help jump start our club for the semester. Why don't we use this moment while outside to learn a little bit about him."

"Oh yeah." Sayori turned around and ran back over to Tridon, "I didn't tell them much about you, so I think going outside would be a great moment to tell them about yourself."

"Uh." Tridon rubbed his chin and started saying, "Well, it all started in the Summer of '86..." In the middle of Tridon's sentence, Sayori grabbed him and delivered a german suplex to Tridon, "Guack!"

Sayori stood up and dusted her skirt off, "So you guys wanna head outside now?"

"Yeah..."

"I got him. I'll be right behind you guys." Sayori picked up Tridon by his legs and dragged him through the hall.

* * *

Outside, Tridon was still on the ground while the girls sat around a tree. He turned to them and noticed he could see up their skirts, "Well that's unfortunate." Tridon turned his head and called out to Sayori, "Hey Sayori!"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to take a moment to lay down to my left and look to your left."

"Okay?" Sayori proceeded to lay down next to Tridon and looked left.

"Do you see the problem?"

"You looked."

"Well obviously! When I woke up, I had to see where you girls were." Tridon sighed and asked, "You girls did this on purpose!"

"I didn't." Sayori added, "I just sat you down there because you were getting heavy."

"Well," Tridon sat up, turned around, and proceeded to shuffle next to Yuri, "I'm not getting kicked into oblivion today."

Sayori sighed and joined the spot next to Natsuki, "You should be in front of us."

"Well, I don't want to do that by sitting in front of you girls." Tridon retorted, "Can't we just stay in this half circle?"

"Fine."

"So Tridon," Monika began, "what's your story?"

"If you say the Summer of '86 again, I'll chokeslam you through the pavement." Sayori threatened.

"Why so hostile? I thought I was your best childhood friend." Tridon sighed and started, "Well, Sayori and I met in pre-school when she glued her hand to my wrist."

"He cried." Sayori interrupted.

"She laughed." Tridon continued, "Anyway, after being stuck to each through lunch time, we actually enjoyed each other's company."

"Then we found out we lived next door to each other." Sayori explained, "Then from there, we lived next to each other until now."

"You guys have lived next to each other for that long?" Yuri asked in shock, "That's amazing."

"Trust me." Tridon continued, "Living with her has been some of the best moments of my life. She absolutely makes my day. Especially over summer break."

"What happened over the course of your life before high school?"

"Well." Tridon paused and looked at the sky, "Writer, what has this placed been confirmed to take place?"

"I wanna say Japan?" Monika answered, "But your name isn't Japanese."

"My name isn't even American..." Tridon retorted, "So where is this taking place?!"

_I wanna say America to make some of your backstory make sense a little. Just go with it!_

"Makes sense." Tridon nodded and continued, "Alright, so when I was in elementary school, I play a lot of football."

"Futbol or American Football?" Natsuki asked, "There is an obvious difference."

"Based on where this takes place, American Football. I played up until the year before high school."

"What changed?" Monika asked.

"I banged my knee up pretty badly midway through my last year in middle school."

"I remember that." Sayori added, "What was it exactly?"

"The cartilage in my knee was torn. Was in a wheelchair for the rest of the school year and throughout the first month of summer break."

"How is it now?" Yuri questioned, "Don't you and Sayori walk to school?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't bother me much, but the walk to and from school does put its toll on my knee."

"You should take the bus if it hurts your knee." Monika offered, "The both of you can ride it together and not have to worry about Tridon's knee giving out."

"Trust me. It's much easier to just walk. It'll help my knee get used to it. We have been walking for the last 4 years."

"That is understandable."

"That's not the only sport he's done." Sayori interrupted, "He also tried basketball for two years, but he stopped playing because of the injury."

"Did you like it?" Natsuki quickly asked, "Was it fun?"

"It was tiring." Tridon explained, "You gotta have the stamina and awareness to always be on your toes and being able to go back and forth while keeping your eyes on the game and your lungs full; it takes its toll." Tridon sighed and turned to the girls, "I didn't really like playing basketball all too much anyway. The basketball coach just told me to do so because he said I was a 'gifted' athlete. I said 'whatever'. It gave me a chance to school some nerds on the court."

"How'd you do?" Monika wondered.

"I was pretty decent. I was in the top 5 on the team, but I didn't shine as much as I did in football." Tridon leaned on the tree and looked at the leaves above him, "I guarantee you that if I could keep playing, I would be a top prospect and possibly on the way to the NFL!"

"Was he that good Sayori?"

"Definitely. He was a quarterback and he threw dots to the receivers. He was a beast and he was mobile. So he could run it down the field if nobody was open."

"That's probably what led to him getting hurt." Natsuki interrupted, "Did you know how to slide Tridon?"

"You could slide to avoid getting hit?" Tridon shot up and looked at Natsuki who nodded with the other 3 nodding with her, "Damn. I always thought that the only way to avoid getting hit was running out of bounds." Tridon nodded and raised his hands, "The more you know..."

"You're an idiot..." Sayori commented, "You could've been famous!"

"Yeah, but I won't be famous."

"Anything else interesting?" Yuri quietly began before asking, "Like your love life!"

Tridon paused with Sayori growing a look of worry on her face. The other girls noticed this and attempted to ask him, but Tridon quickly stood up, "I uh..." Tridon scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Sayori, don't you think we should head home now?"

"U-Uh. Yeah. Go and wait by the gate. I'll meet ya' there."

"Alright." Tridon quickly grabbed his bag and jogged over to the front gate.

"Sayori," Monika began, "what's up with that?"

"Uh. It's something very complicated."

"Are you gonna tell us?"

"I can't." Sayori quickly answered, "We pinkie swore never to tell anyone. I'm sorry girls, but this is something between the two of us and I just can't find it in my heart to break a pinkie promise." Sayori quickly walked away to join with Tridon at the gate.

Yuri and Natsuki looked at Monika who had her arms crossed, "Something isn't right you two."

"Obviously!" Natsuki exclaimed, "It's just not sitting well with me either."

"Maybe it's something too personal." Yuri commented, "Maybe we shouldn't tread too much on their personal lives." Yuri looked at the two walking off and looked at the ground, "Perhaps it's something that's just too hard for him to remember and he doesn't want to remember it."

"Yeah." Monika agreed, "We just gotta leave it be and wait until he trusts us to tell what happened." The two girls nodded with Monika adding, "I guess that's the end of our day today. Be safe on your way back home girls." They nodded once more before making their off the school campus.

Monika remained behind and looked at the sky, "What do you have planned writer? This is suppose to be a 'normal, vanilla' story. What the hell are you getting at?" Monika shook her head and grabbed her bag, "I've made my mistakes before, but I atoned for them. As for you, if you mess this world up, I will end you." Monika stormed off with her fists balled.

_Why did I write her to be this sentient? Oh yeah, I said there would be a lot of 4th breaks and moments of sentience... I'm stupid..._


	3. Tridon's Submission And The Study Session

"Alright!" Tridon yelled earning him a chop from Sayori, "Ack!"

"Stop yelling."

"It's just how I express myself..." Tridon rubbed his stomach and sighed, "I do believe we have some submissions to our workshop?" The girls all either whistled, looked off to the side, or blatantly made it obvious that they didn't have anything, "Hm, maybe two days wasn't long enough to bring something rather decent to a workshop."

"And I'm sure we all forgot." Monika added, "I was busy with some things that didn't give me time to bring in something good or at least decent."

"And all of you?" They nodded in agreement with Monika. Tridon sighed and reached into his bag, "Well, good thing I'm quick and don't really care if the product sucks." Tridon pulled out 5 sheets of paper, "Even if it's only a first draft, it's usually never gonna always look great. Ernest Hemingway stated that all first drafts are uh... shi*t. Damn, I can say 'damn' but not sh*t. Well, not the full word 'cause it'll have an asterisk when I say it." Tridon sighed and handed out each piece of paper to the girls, "It's 2 haikus."

"Haiku..." Natsuki mouthed to herself.

"7-5-7?" Sayori questioned.

"It's 5-7-5." Tridon explained, "People often confuse haikus as just 3 meters in the format of 5-7-5."

"Are we having a writing tip of the day?" Monika quickly asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Let's say more of a writing lesson more than tip." Tridon chuckled while Monika nodded and took out a small handheld notebook, "So a haiku is really a reflection on a natural image. More so, that is the more traditional structure of a haiku. So the first 2 lines would explain the natural image or describe it and the final 5 syllable line would be your response or reflection to the image."

"So this reads..." Yuri began.

"Before you begin," Tridin interrupted, "these two haikus are just examples for this very occasion. You may continue Yuri."

"Okay. It reads:

 _The Northern Lights shine.  
So brightly in the brisk night.  
I stand there amazed_."

"So look at how each meter is written."

"Question." Natsuki quickly started, "How do you know if the 3rd meter is a definite response or reflection of the natural image?"

"That is purely based on what the reader interprets from the natural image meters." Tridon explained, "However, if you can put yourself in the writer's point of view, then you'll be able to interpret what they mean."

"All I can interpret from you is stupidity." Natsuki commented, "But I understand."

"Other times, a writer will make it painfully obvious what their response or reflection is. Sayori, my dearest friend, can you read the next haiku?"

"Why certainly my dearest friend Tridon. Ahem:

_Times of flashing light  
It covers the dark, blank city  
A sight to behold."_

"Sometimes, a writer won't be entirely clear on their response. But that gives the reader a chance to pick it apart and decipher it."

"So by 'A sight to behold'," Monika began, "You're meaning to tell that these times of flashing light are a sight to behold?"

"Exactly."

"And the flashing light is lightning?" Yuri wondered inciting a nod from Tridon, "Great. So the meaning of the haiku is that the times of lightning has a chance to brighten up a dark, gloomy city and the show of lightning is truly a sight to behold."

"Exactly. These two haikus are simple and easy to decipher since it gets straight to the point." Tridon chuckled while Sayori jumped up.

"I just thought of a haiku!"

"What is it?"

" _Aromas of food  
What a divine craftsmanship  
With exquisite taste._" Sayori proceeded to munch on two cupcakes at the same time causing everyone to laugh around her, "These cupcakes have exquisite taste!"

Later that day, Sayori and Tridon started to make their way home, but Monika stopped them before they got further.

"Tridon!" She called out, "I wanted to know if you were free this weekend."

"Uh..."

"I was inspired to do a haiku and I'd love your help on writing one." Monika started, "Just some ideas and maybe some structuring."

"Well Monika," Tridon looked at Sayori and sighed, "Sayori and I already have plans this weekend to hang out. You're welcome join if you'd like."

"O-Oh." Monika looked at Sayori before shifting her glance to Tridon, "Well, I don't want to ruin your plans. Uh, how about tomorrow?"

"I'm helping Sayori with homework tomorrow."

"I can help!" Monika quickly exclaimed, "I can help you help her and you can help me with my haiku!"

"Dudet," Tridon started, "ease up there. You have that weird crazy eye thing."

"Oh shiet..." Monika quickly mumbled.

"That's a way to censor yourself." Tridon sighed and shot a glance at Sayori who nodded, "Well, Sayori gave the okay for you to come over. We'll be at my house tomorrow, so uh... Damn how are we gonna get you my address?"

"I could give it to her later tonight." Sayori offered, "I have her number."

"Oh. That works." The two looked at Monika who had a bright smile on her face, "Well, we'll see you tomorrow Monika..."

"Bye!" Monika ran by the two followed by a strong gust of wind.

"She didn't even go that fast." Tridon commented, "What was with the random gust of wind?" Tridon looked at Sayori and the two thought it over, "She can't have a crush on me that fast. I have the crush on her!"

"Dude, maybe it was your lesson today." Sayori explained, "Remember what I told you."

"Uh, I'll never guess what I found in your sock last night?"

"No. Not that."

"Uh. Licking doorknobs is illegal on other planets?"

"No!"

"It was his hat..." Out of nowhere, Sayori pulled Tridon in for a figure-four leglock, "Ah!"

"I told you tha she likes a genuine, normal boy!"

"My bad leg!"

* * *

Later that night, Sayori placed an ice bag on Tridon's right knee and sighed, "Dude, she doesn't like snobby, rich guys and prefers someone like you." Sayori began, "I'm pretty sure after these two days shows what kind of person you can be when you're not acting like a guy with no common sense."

"I take offense to that."

"It's 2020, get over it scrub."

"I'm hurt by that." Tridon sighed while leaning back in his chair, "I don't understand though. She's leagues above me. I know I would like to date her, but she's just leagues above me." Tridon smiled and closed his eyes while adding, "It would be nice though."

"Dude, she's sending you those signs." Sayori interrupted, "But I say you give it time. Believe it or not, she's never dated before and is very, very weird when it comes to expressing those types of feelings."

"Is that why she acted so yandereish?"

"Yup. Don't worry though. I'll talk to her tonight about how weird she was around you."

"You've never dated before."

"Want me to re-tear your knee?"

"No please..."

"Good." Sayori smiled and stood up, "So do you want help getting upstairs or?"

"Nah. The transition to our homework session tomorrow will help me stand up."

"Alright. See you after the transition."

* * *

After the transition, Monika stood outside Tridon's house with her binder in hand, "Alright writer, if you make me sound and look stupid in front of him, I will code myself into your computer and reveal your darkest secrets."

_Jokes on you nerd. I've been doing that for the last 3 and half years on my youtube channel!_

"Yeah point taken."

Monika took a deep breath and knocked on the door. However, she heard a plate crash in his house and grew worried, "Guys?!" She called out, "What's going on?!"

"Monika?!" Tridon yelled back, "Everything is fine. Just some minor problems!" She eventually heard Tridon scream like a girl and she burst through the door.

Sayori ran by her holding a fly swatter and a can of spray, "Sayori?"

"Don't worry Monika. We almost got it!" Monika looked at Sayori was chasing a rather large wasp through the house, "Take this!" Sayori leaped across the couch to swat the wasp that was on the coffee table, but it flew off and Sayori crashed through the table, destroying it instead of the wasp.

The wasp floated next to Monika out the door. Tridon jumped up from behind his kitchen to yell, "Close the damn door!" Monika quickly did so and Tridon threw his hand up, "Finally!" Tridon fell onto the ground with Monika looking on in confusion.

"What was that?"

"Well," Sayori started with her face still in the floor, "that wasp flew in because Tridon left his bedroom window open. He's allergic to wasps, so we kinda went through hell and back just to either kill it or get it out."

"Yeah." Tridon called out from the kitchen, "You didn't hear me scream like a girl did you?"

"I did."

"Aw man!"

"How long were you two trying to get rid of that wasp?"

Sayori sat up and so did Tridon. They looked at each and shrugged their shoulders, "We don't know..."

"School let out only an hour ago."

"Doesn't matter." Tridon quickly stood up and grabbed a binder, "We're here to help Sayori with her homework so she won't be stuck home for the weekend!" Tridon walked over to Sayori and dropped his binder on her back, "Let's get started."

Sayori jumped up and delivered a cross armbreaker to Tridon, "Why you...!"

"Uncle!" Tridon proceeded to tap on the ground, but Sayori only continued to strengthen her hold on Tridon, "Ah!"

Monika only watched the interaction between the two and took a seat on one of the couches. She thought to herself, _"They're really close. I wonder how close they are..."_

"Say you're sorry for dropping your binder on me!"

"You should know I was just joking! You know I love ya' Sayori."

"I don't believe you!" Sayori changed her position into a triangle chokehold, "Say it again!"

"Uncle!"

Sayori chuckled and let go. Tridon laid lifeless on the ground while Sayori fixed herself, "Anyway Monika, I just need to finish some of my work then Tridon can help you with your haiku."

"Is he going to be...?"

"He'll be fine. This happens more than you think."

* * *

About an hour later, Sayori was finished with her work and she stood up to stretch, "Whoo!" She stood up and tapped on Tridon with her foot, "He'll be fine. Just dump some water on him. I'm gonna go take a nap on his bed." Sayori walked off leaving Monika alone with Tridon who was still knocked out.

"I don't think people should be out for this long." Monika got up and walked over to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass and filled it with cold water. She made her way to Tridon and dumped the whole thing on him. Tridon jumped up and unintentionally headbutt Monika, "Ouch..."

"Bananarama!" Tridon looked over at Monika who was rubbing her head, "Oops. Sorry Monika." Tridon crawled over to Monika, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know..."

"That's probably gonna hurt later. Give me a moment." Tridon hopped up and quickly walked over one of the cabinets, "That's gonna hurt later if it doesn't now." Tridon moved next to Monika with a small pill bottle and a glass of water, "Take some ibuprofen to help ease the pain you'll feel later."

"Okay." Monika took the pills and water and quickly took it. All the while Tridon was sweating down his back.

_"Here I am with the prettiest, smartest, and coolest girl in school. All the boys in school would give their lives to be in my position. Writer, we might not always be on same the page, but thank you for this gracious gift!"_

Monika noticed Tridon sweating and thought back to her conversation with Sayori the night before.

* * *

_"Sayori, I don't know how I was too weird yesterday." Monika laid down on her bed with her phone to her ear while she kicked her feet in the air, "I hope I wasn't too weird. Did he think I was weird?"_

_"Yeah. He did."_

_"Oh no..."_

_"Monika, I know you're not experienced in stuff like this."_

_"Yeah. The real thing is totally different than what it would be in books." Monika sat up and grabbed a pillow to hug, "I thought I could handle this like a mature professional, but this romance stuff is so much different from what I envisioned."_

_"It always is. Remember, I went on a date with him once. Even though it wasn't official, it was still a date."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Well, we technically go out on a date every other weekend, but it's usually not romantic."_

_"Sayori..."_

_"Right sorry. When I visited my parents after our 1st year in high school, he came with me so my parents would believe I had a boyfriend. They half-expected it to be Tridon, so it was easy to fool them. All you really gotta do is show your affection for one another. Isn't that what a date is suppose to be?"_

_"I guess."_

_"Showing your appreciation and love for one another without having to do anything extravagant. Like walking in the park, beach, or having a picnic under the stars. Although, I don't recommend that."_

_"Why not?"_

_"It's hard to see what you're eating." Monika chuckled as Sayori continued, "But still, it's still way too early for you two. He likes you and you like him. That's confirmed, but if you two make moves too fast, it'll ruin the building catalyst you two have. Just let it sit for a little bit and when the time is right, go in for the kill."_

_"The kill!"_

_"Not like that Monika."_

_"Right."_

_"Anyway, I'm pretty tired. We still have school tomorrow. Just come tomorrow acting like yourself and not like some weird, lovestruck girl who seems like a yandere."_

_"I will. Thank you Sayori."_

_"No problem. This is my best childhood friend we're talking about."_

_"I know. Well, good night Sayori."_

_"G'night Monika."_

* * *

Monika sighed and crawled over to her binder, "Well, shall we get started on the haiku?"

"Yeah. Let's do that."

_"Not yet." Both Tridon and Monika say in their minds, "Not just yet..."_


	4. Saturday Shenanigans

Tridon stood outside his house with his phone in hand, "That girl shouldn't be so late." Tridon sighed and put his phone away, "We planned this last week."

"Tridon!" Sayori yelled in between breaths. She stopped in front of him and took a deep breath, "Sorry. I overslept."

"Should I set your alarm?"

"My alarm went off. I just slept through it."

"No. I'll be your alarm. I'm gonna wake you up in the morning."

"That's if you wake up on time."

"I wake up earlier than you idiot." Tridon felt Sayori grab his wrist with tremendous force and backed down, "I'm so sorry my sweet childhood friend."

"Good!" Sayori smiled and released her grip, "Now let's have a day of fun and excitement!"

"Yeah!" Tridon cheered, "We're gonna play at the arcade until we're purple!"

"I love being purple!"

* * *

After travelling downtown, Tridon and Sayori arrived at their signature arcade: The Capercade Gamehall, "The Capercade Gamehall." Tridon said in awe, "We've been coming here since it opened in middle school."

"Nearly 7 years of mindless fun on machines that may or may not work!" Sayori exclaimed, "Come on dude!" Sayori grabbed Tridon's hand and dragged him inside. They burst through the door to see a man wiping off one of the machines, "Randy!"

"There are my two loyal customers." The man, Randy, chuckled and walked over to the two, "Same thing as usual?"

"All day pass!" They yell in unison.

"Already got them ready." Randy reached into his pocket and handed them two cards, "Man, it's gonna suck when you guys graduate and stop coming here."

"Hey." Tridon scoffed, "That doesn't mean we'll stop coming."

"Yeah dude." Sayori agreed, "We can't go to any other arcade. Us being here gives us what little of our childhood we have left."

"I don't think childhood counts when you're in middle school." Randy explained, "But I get what you mean." Randy smirked and looked at the two, "So when did you two start going out?"

They both looked at their hands and saw that they were still together, "Gross." They both pulled their hands away and wiped them on their clothes.

"Aw come on. You guys are practically perfect for each other."

"I'd much like my body parts to be part of well... my body." Tridon explained, "If I was a masochist, I would date Sayori."

"And if I wanted to be around an idiot all the time... well..."

"You do that now." Tridon intervened, "But if we dated, it would just be weird. I'm pretty sure all friendships get weird when one person has feelings for the other."

"Yeah." Sayori agreed, "Being friends now is much better than being a couple. We would have to think about Valentines' Day on a whole other level, marriage, kids, and who knows what else."

"Exactly." Tridon smiled and wrapped his arm around Sayori, "It's a lot more fun if we head to our favorite arcade, hangout, and horse play like we usually do."

"Yup!"

"Well," Randy chuckled and whispered, "if you two do get together and get married, don't forget to hit me up as a bachelor."

"Right." The two looked at each and ran off to enjoy their day at the arcade.

* * *

Around an hour or so later, while Sayori and Tridon looked around for their next game and overheard two familiar voices.

"Natsuki, why did you want me to come with you again?" The first voice asked.

"Because. I don't wanna be seen alone here. I've seen some creepy guys come here before." The other voice, Natsuki, answered, "Besides, I know you secretly like games Yuri. Don't deny it."

"I played that game once Natsuki." The other voice, Yuri, retorted, "I don't like games like that."

"That's Natsuki and Yuri." Tridon commented. They turned the corner to see the two standing by one of the machines, "Natsuki? Yuri?"

"Oh guys!" Natsuki yelled, "Oh man. I forgot you guys were gonna be here this weekend."

"I mean. Yeah." Sayori confirmed, "But you two?"

"I needed someone to come with me and Yuri is really the only person that I could ask."

"Please don't think less of me you two..." Yuri pleaded.

"Why would we?" Tridon questioned, "If anything, I think it's cool you would like games." Yuri looked up at Tridon with a pink blush on her face, "We overheard you girls and I think it's without a doubt awesome if you're into gaming."

"W-Well..."

"I got Yuri to try out a fighting game I had and she was instantly hooked." Natsuki laughed, "I think it's been a few days, but she's pretty good at the game."

"It's the only game I have a chance to play." Yuri explained quietly, "I don't own my own game system or have a pc to play online with. So from to time, I would come here to play it..."

"What is it?" Sayori asked.

"It's that game with Marvel characters fighting Capcom characters." Yuri answered.

"Marvel Vs Capcom?!" Tridon exclaimed, "Oh man. I used to play that so much back in the day. Nobody really plays Ultimate or the base third game, but I love it."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah." Tridon and Sayori joined the two in front of the UMVC3 machine and and Tridon placed his card on the machine, "How about we play some matches? I bet it'd be fun."

"A-Alright..."

Tridon and Yuri played a few matches which ended with Tridon on the ground in sulking defeat, "Wow." Sayori started, "I did not think Yuri would be that good."

"I'm sorry Tridon." Yuri apologized, but Tridon held his hand up, "Huh?"

"You are a true master that I must follow!" Tridon took her hand and stood on one knee, "You must teach me your ways oh wise one!"

"T-Tridon..."

"Quit being weird!" Natsuki got behind Tridon and delivered a german suplex to him.

"Guack!"

"Thanks Natsuki." Sayori gave Natsuki a thumbs up and added, "I was about to do that."

"No problem." Natsuki fixed her skirt and sighed, "He was being weird in a public place."

"Why can't I be myself?" Tridon questioned while his head was in the ground.

"Because yourself is stupid." Natsuki answered while offering him a hand, "Come on."

"It's fine. I can get up myself." Tridon kipped up and stretched his back. He turned to Yuri who shied away from him, "Still though. For you to be good enough to counter and do some unique combos in a short time is pretty amazing."

"Really?"

"Of course. It took me months to even be above, below average."

"Oh. Thank you Tridon."

"No problem. I'll have to get some spars with you in this game. Maybe some other weekend."

Yuri smiled and nodded, "I'd love that!"

Sayori watched happy for the two, but felt something else. She was confused at the feeling but shot it down, "Hey guys, if you're up for it, we have an all day pass. How about it?" Natsuki and Yuri happily nodded while Sayori pumped her fist in the air, "Whoo-hoo!"

* * *

Later that day, they were all heading out of the arcade with the sun already setting, "Whoo!" Tridon stretched and laughed, "I can't believe Yuri and I actually won that air hockey match."

"I agree." Yuri nodded, "I thought for sure we were going to lose."

"You guys got lucky." Sayori puffed and laughed, "But don't worry. We'll get you two next time!"

"Haha..." Tridon softly laughed before noticing something in the distance, "U-Uh..." Tridon stammered a little, but it was too late. What he was looking at was another person. Tridon looked away while they walked past them, "Please don't notice me..."

As he said this, the person called out, "Tridon? Sayori?"

"Damn it..." Tridon turned around and was met with a dark blue-haired girl, "H-Hey Erica..."

"I haven't seen you two in so long." The girl, Erica, hugged Tridon, but he didn't return her hug, "Aw come on Tridon. Can't hug your ex-girlfriend?"

"Ex?" Yuri and Natsuki question in unison.

"Yes." Erica shot a very accusing, hostile glance at the two before asking, "Who are you two?"

"They're my friends Erica. Look, I don't have time to reconcile with you at the moment."

"Oh I understand. You should call me some time dude. It's been too long." Erica waved them off and walked off.

Tridon shook his head and walked past the girls, "I'm heading home..."

"Tridon!" Sayori called out, but Tridon didn't pay her mind.

He continued walking until he bumped into Monika, "Monika?"

"Oh hey Tridon." Monika greeted, "I thought you were hanging out with Sayori today?"

"I uh..."

"Tridon!" Sayori called out again and noticed Monika, "Monika?"

"Hey there Sayori. Natsuki? Yuri?" She looked at the group and puffed her cheeks out, "And why wasn't I invited?"

"Look Monika," Tridon explained, "I'm sorry, but something came up." Tridon attempted to walk off, but was stopped by Natsuki.

"Now wait a second idiot." Natsuki confronted Tridon who avoided her gaze, "What was that? Who was that?"

"Yes Tridon." Yuri intervened, "If it's something that's bothering you, you have to tell us."

"What happened?" Monika quickly asked.

"Girls," Sayori interrupted, "I told you that it's not good to talk about."

"No Sayori." Tridon held his hand up and sighed, "I can at least tell them who that is at leas and our relationship." Tridon took a moment to recollect himself. He looked at the girls and started, "That girl is my ex-girlfriend from 1st and 2nd year. We dated for that long."

"That long?" Yuri questioned, "I've never seen her at school though. Why haven't we seen her?"

"She doesn't go to our school. Anymore that is."

"Anymore?" Monika questioned.

"At some point, she dropped out because she had to marry some rich, corporate prick. Look, I'm fine with her, I just don't like how our relationship ended." Tridon sighed and looked away from, "Sayori knows what happened, but we promised each other not to talk about it in full. I'll reveal that much, but that's about it."

"That's..."

"Hey." Sayori interrupted, "It's why we don't dwell on the past. We try our best not to think about it." Sayori ran over to Tridon and jumped on his back, "I mean, if he was still hung up on it, he wouldn't be this stupid idiot we know now."

"Yeah. Exactly." Tridon agreed, "Look, I'm sorry for acting weird. From time to time, when I'm reminded of it, it does hit me hard, but I learn to cope with it." Tridon shook his head and smiled, "Since we still have some daylight, why don't we go do some karaoke?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Oh!" Sayori exclaimed, "I know the perfect place."

"So do I!" Tridon agreed, "Come on!" The two ran off leaving the 3 behind.

"Girls," Monika began, "someone who isn't hung up on it still can act like their world is crashing down on them." Natsuki and Yuri nodded in agreement, "He's still hung up on it and it's affecting him pretty badly."

"We shouldn't bring it up." Yuri offered, "If it only triggers him when he sees that girl or when we talk about it, then we shouldn't bring it up."

"Yeah." Natsuki agreed, "He's been fine ever since he joined the Literature Club this past Monday. Let's just keep that vibe."

"Right."

"Come on slowpokes!" Tridon called out, "Or am I gonna have to do some killer dances out here until you catch up."

"Oh no you don't!" Sayori yelled. This was followed by a Tridon screaming like a girl. The girls laughed and ran over to them.

* * *

A few moments later, the club sat in one of the rooms at the karaoke place. Tridon looked through the list of songs and scratched his head.

"What are you gonna sing?" Sayori wondered, "Don't let it be something stupid."

"It won't. It's gonna be by Justin Timberlake!" Tridon selected the song Mirrors by Justin Timberlake, "One of my favorite songs."

"He sings it in the shower." Sayori commented, "I caught him one day singing it, but you'll be surprised at how well he sings. He sounds almost exactly like Justin Timberlake."

The girls watched Tridon perform the song and were immediately enamored with him. Tridon's voice to them spoke to their hearts and at that exact moments, the girls' feelings for him grew even more. Especially Monika who practically had hearts for eyes while he sang.

Once Tridon finished he coughed and cleared his throat, "High notes hurt..."

"Nice job dude!" Sayori slapped his back and laughed, "You still got the skills."

"We haven't come to this place in a while and I haven't sang in a while." Tridon commented, "When was the last time came here?"

"I think last year." Sayori answered, "When it was my birthday."

"That's right." Tridon nodded and handed the mic to her, "There you go dearest friend."

"Thank you dearest friend."

* * *

After more moments of singing later and it was almost 8:30, "Oh man." Sayori stretched and yawned, "I didn't think were gonna be here for that long."

"Yeah." Tridon agreed, "My throat kinda hurts from singing so much."

"Maybe you should stop singing songs with high notes." Monika laughed and smiled at Tridon, "Still, you have an amazing voice."

"Thanks Monika. That actually means a lot coming from you." Tridon chuckled and looked at everyone, "I think all of you sang well tonight. Sayori and I don't do karaoke all the time, but the it's always fun when we come here."

"We should all come back here again!" Natsuki exclaimed, "That is if my dad lets me. He's pretty strict."

"Well, how about on Tridon's birthday?" Sayori offered, "It's next month."

"Really?" Yuri asked inciting a nod from Tridon and Sayori, "Well, I think that should be fine."

"I normally don't do much for my birthday though." Tridon retorted, "I don't like celebrating my birthday."

"Why not?" Monika wondered.

"It's just not my thing. Haha, but if it's with you girls, I guess it can't be that bad." Tridon smiled and stretched, "Well, Sayori and I will walk with you 3 back to your homes. It's a little late to leave you girls on your own."

"You don't have to do that." Monika offered, "We'll be fine on our own."

"Nope. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't accompany you 3 on your way home. However, Sayori is a early sleeper and a late riser, so she might fall asleep midway through."

"I won't fall asleep. I'll stay up!" Sayori exclaimed.

However, a few moments later, she was being carried by Tridon as she had fallen asleep, "I told you girls she would fall asleep." Tridon chuckled as the girls arrived at Natsuki's house, "Here you go Natsuki."

"Thanks you guys for being with me on the way home. My dad is strict and a worry-wart, so I appreciate it."

"No problem." Tridon smiled, "Good night."

"Good night."

Next was Yuri. Tridon noticed no cars were visible in Yuri's driveway and asked, "Yuri, do you happen to live on your own?"

"Yes." Yuri answered, "I started to live on my own last year. You and Sayori live alone too, right?"

"That's right. Although, we've been living alone for quite a while." Tridon responded, "I think maybe around middle or early high school."

"That's pretty neat." Yuri shyly played with her hair and asked, "Do you think you two could show me the ropes of living alone?"

"I guess." Tridon turned to Monika to ask, "What about you Monika? Do you live alone?"

"I do and I've been living alone since the summer, so I'm even more inexperienced."

"Alright. I'm not doing anything with Sayori next weekend. How about I help you girls get adjusted to living alone."

"We'd appreciate it." Both Monika and Yuri quickly respond.

"Alright." Tridon looked back at Sayori who started snoring, "We'll have to hurry up. Uh, Monday, I'll need your girls' number. I don't have them and I'll need them so we can set up a time."

"I can give it you now!" They both yelled causing Sayori to slurp some slob that was running down her face and proceeded to rub her face in Tridon's back.

"Gross..." Tridon commented, "Just tomorrow girls please? I wanna get this weirdo back home so she can stop slob on my back." The girls nodded slowly and Yuri waved them off before walking to her house.

Once they approached Monika's house, "Here you are Monika."

"Thank you accompanying me home Tridon."

"No problem."

The two stood their for a moment in the lukewarm, summer night in silence. Cicadas and crickets filled the nightly air and their awkward silence.

"Well uh..." Tridon started, "I'll see ya' Monday."

"Wait Tridon..." Monika stopped Tridon, but he held up his hand, "Huh?"

"I'm sorry Monika, but today has been a little hard on me and I think Sayori too. I'll get your number from her and I'll text you some time later. I gotta go."

"O-Oh..."

"Sorry Monika."

"It's okay." Monika sent Tridon a warming smile and sighed, "I understand that girl earlier must've triggered something. Have a safe night okay?"

"Thank you Monika. Have a good night."

Monika watched Tridon walk off with Sayori still sound asleep on his back.

"Writer," Monika softly started, "I hope this story doesn't hurt him too much or cause any harm." Monika looked at the sky and continued, "Actions like these show someone who is completely broken. I don't know. Just promise me that in the end, his suffering ends. I like how you wrote him and all, but it's all for nothing if he doesn't recover from whatever tragic past you gave him."

_Monika, stop being so sentient. Look, I understand and I hope people reading do too. This is suppose to be a normal, vanilla story, but my stories aren't complete if there is a lack of drama. Trust me, in the end, he'll be fine._

"I will end you if you hurt him."

_Whatever..._


	5. The Next Weekend

Once the next school passed by and the weekend came once again, Tridon took the time to sleep in a little. The time was 9 o'clock in the morning until his phone started to ring. His eyes fluttered open and he slowly answered the phone.

"Huh?"

"Tridon," Monika spoke, "are you still asleep?"

"It's the weekend," Tridon responded, "so yeah..."

"Tridon. Yuri and I are outside your house."

Tridon sighed and nodded, "Ah damn. Sorry Monika." Tridon got up and stretched, "I had a long day yesterday and I got to sleep late."

"Oh Tridon." Monika cooed, "That's not safe for you to sleep late. It leads to bad sleeping habits."

"I know." Tridon yawned while he made his way downstairs, "I'm heading to the door. Just give me a sec." Tridon took a hold of the doorknob and opened the door and squinted at the daylight hitting his eyes, "Hello..."

Monika and Yuri both stared at Tridon who didn't have a shirt on. He looked down and sighed, "Tr-Tridon..."

"Sorry. I just woke up." Tridon moved out the way and allowed the girls inside, "Just head on in and take a seat on the couch. Let me take a shower and stuff before we start our lesson on living alone."

"A-Alright..." Monika and Yuri glanced at one another before quickly taking a seat at Tridon's couch.

"Make yourself at home girls." Tridon yawned again before making his way back upstairs. Once he was out of sight, Monika and Yuri got close and started whispering.

"Yuri," Monika began, "did you know he was that chiseled?"

"No. Kinda?"

"You can tell he doesn't have any extra weight on him." Monika commented, "But for him to be that toned? He looks like a model."

"Okay Monika." Yuri interrupted, "Look, we're just here to just learn how to live alone. God knows we need to. Didn't you almost burn your house down from cooking?"

"I was just trying something out!" Monika quickly yelled, "I just wanted to see what I could do."

"Alright girls," Tridon called out. He walked downstairs wearing a tank top and basketball shorts, "let's get to work on what you girls need to know." Tridon looked at his kitchen and then towards them, "We'll deal with cooking last. I assume you girls can keep up after yourself, right?"

"Yeah." Monika answered. However, Yuri remained quiet causing Tridon to eye her, "You don't clean up after yourself?" Monika questioned.

"It's more so that I do it every now and then. My room can be a mess along with the kitchen."

"Well, my daily schedule isn't really the same as the both of you." Tridon explained, "Usually every 2 weekends, I spend time cleaning inside and outside if it's necessary."

"How so?" Yuri wondered.

"I usually spend Saturday morning cleaning. I wake up, eat breakfast, then I clean. Afterwards, I head off to the gym to workout."

"The gym?" Monika softly mumbled. Her mouth proceeded to lightly salivate at the thought of watching Tridon workout.

"I didn't get to clean last week, so today, I'll show you girls the easiest way to begin cleaning." Tridon pulled from behind a wall a large dry erase board, "So you see here, I split areas of the house into different parts. Upstairs and downstairs. This allows me to plan out where I start cleaning."

"Okay, but where did you get that..."

"Don't question it. Look, on a day like this since I woke up late, I'll start upstairs. I'll begin with the upstairs bathroom before heading off to my room, the guest bedroom, and bathroom." Tridon ushered the girls to follow him upstairs.

Once they got to the bathroom, Tridon took out a large laundry bag, "Monika, please be a dear and place this in the laundry room."

"Alright." She grabbed the bag and quickly moved downstairs. Once she got downstairs and set the bag down, her hand fidgeted slightly, "I swear writer, don't make me sniff any of his clothes."

_I'm not doing anything._

"Oh no..." Monika reached for a shirt in the bag and took a big whiff, "It doesn't even smell of B.O..."

* * *

Meanwhile upstairs, Tridon showed Yuri a way to clean the bathroom without having to get too dirty, "What I like to do is the good ole' 'use your foot to wipe everything' technique."

"Okay. I see..."

"As for the toilet, I just use those automatic cleaners that you stick inside." Tridon went under his sink and pulled out some packs of the small toilet discs, "Just place these in and it cleans and disinfects your toilet. Although every month, I do put a little elbow grease to properly clean the toilet. Can't always rely on these things." Tridon tossed all but one pack back under the sink and tossed the other to Yuri.

"I can have this?"

"Yeah. I go grocery shopping every month, so I buy those things in big bulk so I don't have to buy it every time I go grocery shopping."

"Oh. Thank you Tridon."

"No problem Yuri." Monika finally back up with her hair kinda tattered and a pure look of bliss on her face, "And here is our beautiful president Monika who doesn't look so great right now. What happened?"

"Nothing happened." She quickly answered.

"Okay." Tridon slowly said, "Anyway, I'll explain to you what I told Yuri." After repeating himself, he led the girls to his room, "So my room doesn't really need much cleaning if ever. When I'm in my room, I stay in my corner over there." Tridon pointed over to a corner of his room where he had an elaborate gaming setup, "I still make it an effort to clean the carpet in here though and dust off the shelves and stuff."

"That's fairly easy." Yuri commented, "I can at least do that much, but in my room..."

"You have clothes and stuff out of place right?" Yuri nodded inciting a light chuckle from Tridon, "Alright, just leave your dirty clothes in a laundry bag after taking a shower. Before you do take a shower or bath, pick out what you'd like to wear before hand so you don't riffle through your clothes in an attempt to find what to wear."

"How would I go about doing that?"

"Well, you're an introvert." Tridon answered, "So plan out what you would wear while you're at home. Separate your clothes from outerwear and home-wear."

"Oh. I understand." Yuri smiled and nodded, "I do have a lot of casual clothing. I think that might work."

"What about you Monika? Do you have trouble doing that?"

"No. Not really." She answered, "I don't have much unique clothing, so picking out what to wear isn't a hassle."

"That's good." Tridon ushered them to follow him out the room, but the both of them stayed back and walked over to his dresser.

"You sniffed his dirty clothing didn't you?" Yuri accusingly asked Monika.

"What gave it away."

"You've been holding his shirt behind you since you came back."

"It's the writers fault."

"Is it though?"

"What about you Yuri? You've been acting all cute and nervous because you're here."

"You're the same."

"Girls," Tridon called out, "if you wanna learn how to live alone, then you should probably stick with me. Come on."

"We're coming!" They yell back in unison.

In the kitchen, Tridon looked at the two and nodded, "Now Monika, I do understand that you nearly burned your house down, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, cook something that is fairly easy and healthy." Tridon explained, "I usually start my day with a bowl of oats, eggs, an apple, and water. Sometimes I throw a protein shake in their every now and then. Just depends on the day. However, for Yuri, I would suggest egg, toast, and a meat side of your choice. I would suggest ham since it's not hard to screw up." The girls were actively writing down notes as he continued, "Since I didn't eat breakfast, I can show you girls some easy ways to cook and multi-task at the same time."

"Tridon," Yuri started, "do you happen to be on a diet?"

"Uh, sort of. My breakfast is always low on carbs. The carbs I get are from the oats, but through out the day, I try to avoid carbs. It's why I didn't eat Natsuki's cupcakes Thursday." Tridon sighed and leaned on the counter, "My next cheat day is next week, so I have to keep up."

"Do you have anyone to go to the gym with, Tridon?" Monika wondered, "If not, I could..."

"Oh it's fine." Tridon answered, "I go with Tiff. The both of us are on the same diet and workout plan, so we keep each other in check."

"O-Oh..."

"But if you're willing to join, I'm all for it."

"Great!"

"U-Uh..." Yuri interrupted, "Why don't we get onto cooking, hm?"

"Right. Just watch closely girls." Before Tridon could start, he heard a swift knock on his door.

"Tridon!" Sayori yelled from outside, "Have you started cooking yet?!"

"This girl..." Tridon laughed and moved to open the front door. Once he did, he saw Sayori salivating, "Dudet, I thought I told you to leave this day to me."

"Yeah, but how I can pass up a moment to eat some good food." Sayori let herself in and joined the other girls in the kitchen, "You 2 are gonna love Tridon's cooking. It's one of the things his mom helped him do before he started living on his own."

"The food I cook is also healthy-ish," Tridon added, "so you two are gonna enjoy it." Tridon looked at Sayori and pulled her back, "I will need an assistance for cooking though."

"Oh!" Sayori ducked down and stood back up wearing a full chef uniform, "Eh?"

"The costume is unnecessary, but I respect the enthusiasm." Tridon took out a list from his pocket and ordered, "Sayori, I need the olive oil, the pork chops in the fridge, and some of the asparagus."

"Yes chef!" Sayori yelled.

"As for you two," Tridon turned to the girls and winked, "just sit back and watch the show."

"Tridon," Monika started, "why cook with olive oil? I always thought butter or even vegetable oil would be a better alternative in terms of a cooking agent."

"Well, olive oil has saturated fat, the fat that your body needs. Butter has trans fat and some times makes some things soggy if not prepared correctly. Since I'm only searing the pork chop, the olive oil will give a unique flavor to it along with what I marinaded it with."

"Okay..."

"Anyway, sit back and relax girls. Let's get to work Sayori."

* * *

An hour later, Monika, Yuri, and Sayori were on the couch sighing in relief and looks of pleasure on their faces. Tridon was off cleaning their dishes. He looked at the time and sighed, "I still need to head to the gym." His phone started ringing afterwards. He looked at it from the sink and sighed. He turned off the water and wiped his hands before answering, "Sorry Tiff..."

"Where are you? You know we workout every other week. You skimped out last week, but I expected you to be here today."

"I know, but I told you I was having Monika and Yuri over today. I woke up late and took a minute helping them figure out how to live alone."

"Well, can't you get Sayori to take over?"

"Uh..." Tridon looked over at them to noticed that they had fallen asleep, "They actually fell asleep."

"Well great. Leave a note and get down here."

"Alright, I got it." Tridon quickly hung up and proceeded to write a note for the girls before leaving for the gym.

* * *

30 minutes later, Sayori sat up and stretched, "Man, I love eating his food." Sayori stood up and called out, "Tridon." No response, "Tridon dude. Where are you?" Sayori walked over to the kitchen and saw the note. She read it over and nodded, "Workout day." She looked over to the girls and yelled, "Fire!"

"Fire?!" They jerked up yelling and in shock.

"Nah just kidding." Sayori laughed and explained the situation, "Tridon left for the gym with Tiff. He'll be back in maybe 50 minutes?"

"What do we do until then?" Monika wondered.

"Well, he told me to help you girls learn more about living alone." Sayori took one look at the girls and smirked, "But I'm sure you two would like to see him workout, right?"

"Yes!"

"Too bad! This is the end of the chapter!"

"No!"

* * *

-Epilogue-

Tridon returned later to see only Sayori at his house, "Hey Sayori, where'd the other girls go?"

"They went home maybe 10 minutes ago?"

"Alright. I hope that got home safe and sound."

"They did. Don't worry."

"Well, what happened while I was gone?" Tridon set down his duffle bag and stretched. He looked behind Sayori who tried her best to hide something, "Sayori, what happened?"

"Oh just a laundry lesson before they left."

"No..." Tridon ran by Sayori and ran to the entrance of his laundry room to see Monika, Yuri, and the entire room covered in suds and water.

"It's not what it looks like!"

"Girls!"

"We're sorry!"


	6. Zombie Time!

"Alright everyone!" Monika happily cheered.

It's been a week and a half since Monika and Yuri were at Tridon's house and now it was time for another workshop session.

"I do believe we have our submission from Tridon this time, right?" Tridon was already standing up with his packet of paper ready. Monika smiled and chuckled before continuing, "Alright, so he submitted this last week and I've been looking forward to the workshop for it."

"Alright," Tridon stood up as light started to shine on only him, "are you girls ready for a story of action, drama, friends, and zombies!"

"Can we turn the sun back on?" Sayori wondered, "I know you want to keep it dark and ominous, but it sucks if we can't even read what's on the paper."

"Right." Tridon snapped his fingers and instead of the sun being turned on, they were now in a broke down city where cars piled on one another and buildings were close to collapse, "Better?"

"How are we here...?" Monika wondered, "How'd you do this?"

"Doesn't matter." Tridon quickly responded, "Anyway, we are in a broken down city." Tridon walked through the city with the girls following her, "Society has collapsed due to the rising zombie menace."

"A few questions." Yuri interrupted, "1. Why am I wearing jeans? 2. Are these fast or slow zombies?"

"Yeah." Natsuki agreed, "We need to know. I've never worn leggings."

"I think those are yoga pants." Monika interrupted, "I don't know..."

"Oh," Sayori intervened, "I think they're yoga pants. Since we're in this type of setting, it would be obvious that they're yoga pants."

"Girls," Tridon interrupted, "we have to move." Tridon looked past them as a large group of zombies started sprinting towards them, "Run!"

"Ah!" The girls yelled and followed after Tridon who was miles ahead of them.

"Tridon!" Sayori yelled, "Wait!"

"Ah man..." Tridon turned around and ran past the girls, "Just go to that building over there!" Tridon pointed over to a small building to their right and the girls ran over to it. However, they stopped when they saw Tridon staying with the zombies.

"Tridon!" Sayori yelled, "What are you doing?"

"In the story, the main character stays back while his friends get to safety!" Tridon answered, "Don't worry! I'll be fine!"

"No Tridon!" Monika yelled, but was stopped by Natsuki, "Huh?"

"Remember his story girls." Natsuki responded, "He'll be fine! Let's go!" The girls followed Natsuki inside the building, "In the story, it says we make our way to the roof and wait until he comes back."

"What if he doesn't come back?" Yuri questioned, "What if things don't go as planned?"

"Don't worry girls." Natsuki answered, "I'm worried too, but if things go as planned like the story, then everything will be fine."

Once the girls approached the roof, they all huffed and puffed after going up multiple flights of stairs, "Whew..." Monika breathed, "What else happened in the story?"

"If I remember correctly," Natsuki started, "we should see Tridon running through the door right... now!" Natsuki pointed at the door, but nothing happened, "Huh?"

"Wait." Yuri interrupted, "I also remember a part of the that the main character does get infected and dies."

"Ah!" The other 3 yell.

"I forgot about that part." Natsuki quickly commented, "We gotta go check on him!"

"Girls," Sayori called out, "I found him." They joined her by the edge of the roof where they saw Tridon in the middle of a large group of zombies attacking him, "We gotta help him!"

"But we don't have weapons!" Natsuki responded.

"Wait," Monika interrupted, "if I remember too, there should be a dead guard with a gun over there." Monika pointed behind them where some of goods scattered across the ground, "I've never used a gun before."

"It shouldn't be that hard." Sayori stated after picking up a shotgun, "Ya' just point and shoot." She cocked the gun and nodded, "Let's go. Who knows how long that idiot will last with all those zombies around him."

"Right!"

The girls rushed back downstairs and arrived at ground level winded again, "Key note." Natsuki started, "We should probably try and not bust our lungs rushing down 30 flights of stairs like that."

"Noted." They say in unison.

"Let's go!" Sayori yelled and ran ahead of the other girls. Sayori fired at a zombie, but was blown back by the kick from the shotgun.

Tridon noticed this and barreled over multiple zombies to get to her, "Sayori!" He yelled. He picked up Sayori and the shotgun before running to the girls, "I thought the story said head up to the roof!"

"We were up there!" Sayori explained, "We just got worried about you!"

"In the story, the main character gets out fine." Tridon retorted, "I wasn't gonna get hurt or anything!"

"But Tridon..."

"I know you were just worried." Tridon interrupted, "But you're gonna end up worrying me if you got hurt."

"Alright..."

"Follow me girls. There should be a mall somewhere near here. We can fortify there."

"Oh yeah." Natsuki nodded, "The mall part."

* * *

Once they arrived at the mall, they stared at the locked door, "Uh," Monika started, "how are we gonna open this?"

"If someone had remembered in the story about the crowbar on the roof; we would be inside already." Tridon sighed and looked behind them, "Uh oh..." Tridon aimed behind them and shot a few times, scaring the girls.

"Tridon!" They yelled. However, when they turned around, they realized what was wrong, "Get the door open!"

"Get back girls!" Tridon moved the girls behind him and shot the lock off the door. He pushed the door open and pulled the girls inside, "Inside now!" Before the zombies got to the door, he quickly closed it and held his body on it, "Find something to block the door!" The girls nodded and ran off, but Tridon stopped Natsuki, "Wait Natsuki."

"What?"

"Take the shotgun and if any of them sticks their head or hand in..." He tossed his shotgun to her and continued, "Blast 'em!"

"Why would you tell the smallest person in the club to do this?"

"Just do it!" Natsuki jumped when Tridon yelled at her and only did as he said. Tridon struggled as some of the zombies peaked their heads in, "Natsuki!" Natsuki fired and stumbled a little.

"Ow..." Natsuki stretched her shoulder before firing once more, "Tridon...!"

"Girls!" Tridon yelled, "Come on!"

Monika eventually joined with Sayori helping her push a TV stand in front of the door. Yuri joined pushing a steel shelf and Tridon ran back to help her.

"More stuff...." Tridon ran off to look for more stuff.

Natsuki looked down at the gun and sighed, "This story is pretty interesting huh?"

"Yeah." Sayori agreed and breathed heavily, "It's also exciting!"

Tridon arrived again with some chairs, benches, and other items to effectively block the door. Tridon bent down and sighed, "Oh yeah. This story gets interesting and exciting." Tridon slid down on the wall and chuckled, "How are you girls enjoying it?"

"It's exciting from the get-go." Monika started, "But since it's a zombie story, I expect it to dial back soon."

"Yup." Tridon looked down at his hand and nodded, "Well that was unplanned."

"What was?" Yuri quickly asked. She looked down at his hand and noticed a bite on it.

"Yikes dudets..."

"Oh no..." Sayori crawled over to Tridon and checked his hand, "That means your infected now?"

"I guess so?"

"No..." Sayori hugged Tridon and sniffled, "I know this is some weird imagination of your story, but I don't want you to turn."

"Sayori, I don't think..."

"Hey man," Sayori interrupted, "I just said I know it's fake." Sayori looked at Tridon with a raised eyebrow and flicked his forehead, "It's for the story."

"Still though." Monika intervened, "If this was real, the thought of needing to put him down because of a bite would be hard to think about."

"It'd be messy too since we have a shotgun only." Natsuki commented, "I doubt none of us would want that blood on our hands."

"Look," Tridon stopped everyone and stood up, "if that does happen, just shoot me. I don't wanna be one of them. Hypothetically that is."

The girls all looked at each other just as the setting around them turned back to normal. Instead of being under the tree, they were now in the school halls.

"What are all of you doing so late after school?" Tiffany interrupted them and tapped her foot, "Clubs went home 30 minutes ago."

"Sorry." Tridon apologized, "We were just having fun with one of our stories."

"Well, don't stay later than this. I'm letting this go once."

"Thanks. Come on girls." Tridon walked ahead of everyone with the girls following behind him.

* * *

Later that night, Tridon finished brushing his teeth and was about to head off to bed, but his phone started ringing. He checked who it was and didn't recognize the number. He shrugged his shoulders and answered, "Ye'hello?"

"Tridon, it's Natsuki."

"Oh hey Natsuki." Tridon fell onto his bed and stretched, "What's up?"

"I wanted to tell you that I loved your story."

"Really now?" Tridon laughed and added, "I'm glad you did."

"Also, I wanted to ask you about the part when you got bit."

"Yeah?"

"I'm pretty the other girls wanna know too, but why were you so insistent on us shooting you?"

"Well, think about it. A quick shot to the head would be a better fate than to slowly die from whatever virus it was. Not to mention dying and becoming a zombie. A nice, quick shot to the head is a lot more merciful than waiting for the virus to take you."

"Right. I guess we just didn't want to think about it." Natsuki sighed and berated him, "You shouldn't have gotten bitten in the first place. You knew those things were fast because you wrote them to be. You should've been more cautious."

"Sorry dudet. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"I-I wasn't..."

"Yeah, yeah. You weren't worried about me or something along those lines..."

"Do you want me to kick you in the shins while Sayori chokes you out tomorrow?"

"No thank you please..."

"Good!" On Natuski's end, she had a bright smile on her face before asking, "By the way dude, I'm doing a bake sale this weekend to help a friend out. Do you think you can lend a hand?"

"No problem. At your house?"

"That's right."

"Alright, I'll stop by. What time?"

"Early. Like 7 or 8. The bake sale starts at 12 downtown. I need to start baking."

"I understand. I'll be there."

"Thank you so much Tridon."

"No problem Natsuki."

"Well, I guess I'll c'ya at club tomorrow."

"Same to you Natsuki..."

"Bye Tridon."

"Night Natsuki." Tridon hung up and placed his phone on the charge going straight to sleep.

Natsuki smiled brightly and hugged her phone and pillow, "Take that girls. This is what happens when you leave me out of chapters. Yee-hee!"


	7. Baking And Making That Bread

That next morning, Tridon pulled up to Natsuki's house and stretched, "Whoo..." He stepped out of his car and stared at her house, "She said her dad was strict. I hope he's not 'no boys allowed' strict." Tridon made his way to the door and knocked on it.

The door opened to a man slightly shorter than Tridon, scrawny and wearing glasses. One other particular feature was the lack of the bright pink hair color Natsuki had, "Good morning sir. My name is Tridon." Tridon held his hand out and greeted the man, "I do believe you're Natsuki's father, right?"

"That is correct. One moment." Natsuki's dad slowly closed the door and left Tridon hanging. Tridon held a blank expression before putting his ear against the door.

"Dad, is he here?"

"Yes, but why didn't you tell me he was tall, well-kept, and so well-mannered?"

"That doesn't sound like him. Are you sure it's the right guy?"

"His name is Tridon right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, he's out there."

"Okay..." Tridon backed up when he heard Natsuki making her way to the door. The door slowly opened to show Natsuki looking at him, "So it is you."

"What's up with your dad?"

"Why do you choose now to have some sense?"

"Well, he's your dad. Don't I have to present myself in a sophisticated manner?"

"You mean like a weanie?"

"No." Tridon looked at Natsuki's dad and waved at him, "Why does he look so nervous? I thought you said he was strict."

"Did say that? I meant over-protective. That's a better word to describe him."

"Yeah. Wait, is he nervous of me hanging out with you?"

"A little. I think he sees you as some jocky, rich guy."

"Wow. The exact thing I hate..." Tridon sighed and called out to him, "Excuse me."

"Yes?" Her dad responded.

"Look, I'm not some jock or rich kid. I actually despise that." Tridon leaned on the door and continued, "I'm actually a nerd to be honest."

"What?" He responded in shocked manner.

"Yeah. I like playing video games, geeking out about manga like your daughter, and goofing off. I did do sports before though, but I can't play sports anymore."

"My daughter told me about your sports past." Her dad scratched the back of her head and laughed, "I guess I misjudged you because that's all she really told me about. That and the zombie adventure you and the club had the other day."

"Right. See?" Tridon laughed and held out his hand, "Please don't see me as those types of losers." Natsuki's dad shook it and smiled at him.

"He's a keeper Natsuki. Please be sure to tell me when you two get married, okay?"

"Dad!" Natsuki yelled while a blush rose on her face.

"Interesting..." Tridon mouthed, "Well, should we get started with baking?" Tridon checked his watched and nodded, "We have 3-4 hours to get everything ready. Let's get to baking!"

"Yeah!"

While they were baking, Natsuki decided to ask Tridon, "Hey Tridon, why don't you like cupcakes?"

"It's not that I don't like them. I'm just on a hardcore diet and it requires a low carb and sugar intake. The only carbs I take is a bowl of oats every morning. Even then, I sometimes cut out carbs entirely in a day."

"So how much and what do you eat in a day?"

"Mostly meat, poultry, eggs, and anything that doesn't have starch. As for calories, I keep it around 1200 a day."

"Isn't it hard to keep up like that?"

"It's always like that when you start out, but when your body adjusts, it's nothing more than just another day."

"I see." Natsuki placed the fresh cupcakes on the counter and smiled, "Are you sure you don't want just one?"

"I'd love to Natsuki trust me, but my cheat day is tomorrow, so if anything, if today was tomorrow, I'd probably be eating a cupcake or 2."

"Okay..." Natsuki nodded and smiled, "Well, just about nearly done. Maybe another batch of cupcakes should do it."

"Sweet." Tridon looked down at Natsuki who prepared another baking tray and smiled, "Hey Natsuki."

"Hm?" As soon as Natsuki turned around, Tridon placed some batter on her nose, "What the...?"

"Hm. I thought that's be a lot more fun."

"It's only more fun when more than one person does it!" Natsuki took some batter on her fingertips and dragged them across his face, "Like that."

"Wait." Tridon took the prepared baking tray and placed it in the oven, "Just so we don't lose that tray." Tridon turned around to a palm of batter.

"Oops."

"Oh you're so getting it." Tridon charged Natsuki and the messy batter war between the two began.

This continued until the cupcakes were finished and the two were covered in batter. The two were on the floor laughing loudly and smiling ear to ear, "Haha," Natsuki looked up and Tridon and lightly punched his arm, "maybe you aren't as stupid as I thought."

"I'm not stupid." Tridon retorted, "I just like goofing off." Tridon wiped some of the batter off himself and flicked it, "Still, I had fun for the last hour and half." Tridon looked at his watch and shook his arm to relief some of the batter off and sighed, "We still have an hour until we have to leave and I'd rather not look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy when we get there."

"Right."

"Does your dad have a bathroom that I can use? I don't want to use yours."

"Why not?"

"Well, it's your bathroom. A female's bathroom. I think it'd be better for me ethically to use your father's shower."

"Right, but do you have anything to change into?"

"I do. Uh." Tridon took out his car keys and handed them to Natsuki, "Can you go in my car and get my duffel bag. I have some of my workout clothes in there that I can change into."

"Alright."

"Just leave them wherever I can get them."

"Okay." Natsuki took his keys and walked outside towards Tridon's car. She saw his duffel bag in the back seat and took it out, "Pretty heavy for a duffel bag..." Natsuki struggled carrying the bag back in. Once she got inside and shut the door, she placed the bag on the ground and grew rather curious, "He has a lot of clothes in here. I wonder what kinda clothes he has for working out."

Natsuki took a moment to look around and huffed, "I'm not doing what Monika did and sniffing his clothes. I'm just interested." Natsuki unzipped the bag and took out multiple clothes differing in wear. Tank tops, muscle shirts, compression shirts along with basketball shorts and such.

"Natsuki." Tridon called out from in front of her, "Those are my clothes."

"U-Uh..."

"Why?"

"You know what they say."

"Don't use the cat saying." Tridon grabbed his bag and sighed, "You should probably get cleaned too. We don't have much time."

"Right."

* * *

When the two were finished with cleaning themselves up and loaded up all the baked goods in the car, they were ready to head off for a day of selling baked goods. Tridon leaned on his car while he waited for Natsuki outside.

He sighed and checked his phone. There were several missed calls from someone labeled as "Big Sister" on his phone, "Oh no..." He quickly erased the notification and put his phone back in his pocket, "Not today..."

Natsuki joined him outside while sighing deeply, "Sorry. My dad was on my case about staying safe and all that."

"It's fine. Let's get going before we're too late."

"Yeah." Natsuki hopped in the front seat and waited for Tridon to enter the car too. However, he still stood outside checking his phone again. She heard a muffled groan and Tridon stuff his phone in his pocket.

He sat in the car and sighed, "Ready?"

"What was that Tridon?"

"Just one of those stupid scam numbers. They're annoying."

"Oh. Yeah. I hate those stupid scam calls. You'd think they'd learn that nobody wants whatever they're selling."

"Right..." Tridon nodded as he started up the car.

* * *

After a short 30 minute drive downtown, they arrived on a massive setup in the center of downtown in front of a nice fountain. Multiple tables and people surrounded the fountain. Tridon parked in the nearby parking lot and stepped out.

"Quite a few people, isn't it Natsuki?"

"Yeah. It's a community event to help my friend's Boys and Girls Club."

"That's nice." Tridon opened the trunk and took out the cupcakes they baked, "Can you close the trunk please Natsuki?"

"No problem."

"It's definitely cool looking here with an amazingview of the fountain." Tridon chuckled and looked around at the mass amount of people, "I would half expect Sayori to be here solely for the cupcakes."

"Make sure she pays for it Tridon."

"I will. Either that or I'll end up paying for her pastries and stuff."

"Uh oh..."

"What?" Tridon looked at what she was looking and noticed 3 girls from their school, "Aren't those girls part of the volleyball team?"

"Yeah..." Natsuki softly answered, "And my bullies..."

"Bullies?" Tridon softly asked inciting a nod from Natsuki. Tridon nudged her lightly and smiled at her, "Don't worry. I'm here. If they say anything..." Tridon thought for a second and said, "I can't hit them, but I can tell them off."

"Thanks Tridon."

* * *

Once they had set up their station, those same girls confronted Natsuki who had just finished setting up her cupcakes, "How's it going Nat."

"It's Natsuki Chelsea..." Natsuki softly responded.

"Oh sorry Nat. You're just small like a gnat and I just had to call you Nat."

"Chelsea, it's not the time to be doing this..."

"Why not? You're handing out cupcakes right?" The leader of the trio of girls, Chelsea, snatched a cupcake and started to eat it, "Wow. These are good. You must eat these all the time." Chelsea looked Natsuki up and down and smirked, "Too bad they don't go where it matters."

"Is there a problem?" Tridon intervened. The trio of bullies stared up at Tridon and took a step back, "Did you pay for that?"

"N-No..."

"Well, I'm sorry, but cupcakes are a dollar each. Cookies are 1.50 for 3. If you're going to have anything here, you'll have to pay for it."

The girls stood speechless and took one look at Natsuki, "Are you her boyfriend?" Chelsea asked.

"No, but I am her friend. Look, I'll need you to pay for what you already ate."

"Y-Yeah sure..." Chelsea quickly took out a dollar and handed it to Tridon.

"Thank you. Have a nice day." Tridon smiled at the girls who were visibly shocked and speechless while walking away, "I think my demeanor shocked them."

"No dude." Natsuki retorted, "It was your overall appearance. Your muscles... looks..."

"Go on..." Tridon cooed.

"Shut up. Let's just keep selling." Natsuki looked Tridon up and down while smiling, "If you're dressed like that, use your body to get us customers."

"I'm on it." Tridon stepped in front of the table and flex a little, "I'll flex a little and get some sales for your friend."

"Nice..." Natsuki watched Tridon from behind and nearly salivated, "Very nice..."

* * *

An hour into their sale, they were making progress with sales. Nearly all of the cupcakes were sold and their last tray of cookies were getting attention too.

"We're killing it Natsuki." Tridon commented as he handed some cupcakes to a couple, "I never knew your baked goods would be such a hit."

"That goes to show you that nobody can match my baking skills."

"I must admit, it sucks I won't be able to have one tomorrow."

"Oh well..." Natsuki softly started, but was interrupted when Tridon held his hand up, "What?"

"That same guy," Tridon started, "he's come here multiple times for free samples. We've lost 5 cupcakes already because of him."

"Wait what?"

"Yeah."

"What are you gonna do."

"He's coming back. Just let me handle it."

"Don't beat him up..."

"I won't." Tridon reassured Natsuki, but he proceeded to pop his knuckles and neck, "Not unless I have to."

The young man walked up and stared at the cupcakes, "Hey there. I'm here for another sample of your delicious cupcakes."

"Wait Tridon..." Natsuki tried to intervene, but Tridon stopped her.

"I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to pay for your next cupcake."

"Why? That girl told me that they were free " The guy pointed at Natsuki who avoided their gazes, "So give me my sample."

"I'm sorry man, but you're gonna have to pay for it"

"Tch." The guy scoffed and reached for a cupcake, but Tridon picked up the tray and handed it to Natsuki, "Hey!" He yelled.

"They're a dollar. If you find it hard to purchase, then please enjoy the other attractions here."

"Listen here, you're going to give me one whether you like it or not."

"Or what?" Tridon challenged, "There are plenty of witnesses here. If you throw a punch, I might just let you hit me. Then you'll be the one that assaulted me." Tridon stepped closer to man and growled, "Then it'll give me the chance to defend myself."

The guy backed up slowly while Tridon glared at him. Tridon chuckled and turned around.

"See. Just gotta express yourself as the alpha." Tridon laughed and patted her head, "That wannabe alpha-male did the right thing by walking away."

Natsuki looked past him and saw the guy charging him, "Tridon!" However, it was too late, the guy tackled Tridon from behind, knocking Natsuki and the cupcakes to the ground in the process.

The two wrestled on the ground for a minute until Tridon slipped from his grasp and helped Natsuki up, "Are you okay?"

"Worry about the guy!"

The guy attempted to tackle him again, but Tridon side stepped him. Tridon noticed from the corner of his eyes that people were on their phones calling for the police. He nodded and prepared to dodge the whole time.

Each punch the guy threw, Tridon ducked under and kept his movements light. The man grew frustrated and attempted to grab him, but Tridon brushed the man off.

"Stop dodging!"

"Just buying time meathead..." Tridon mumbled to himself. Eventually, he saw some off-duty police officers make their way to him, "Just in time..." However, during that moment of distraction, he was tackled to the ground. The man delivered two stuff punches to Tridon's cheeks. The third one was blocked which gave Tridon time to kick him into the table.

The guy's head hid the corner of the table and he was knocked out. Tridon sat up and rubbed his cheeks, "Ah damn..."

"Tridon!" Natsuki yelled as she rushed to his side, "Are you okay?"

"He got me good." Tridon shook his face and smiled warmly at Natsuki, "I'm good though." He stood up and looked down at Natsuki, "You got knocked down in the process. You aren't hurt are you?"

"Now that you say it." Natsuki rubbed her ankle and sighed, "I think I twisted my ankle when you two fell into me."

"Let me look at it." Tridon knelt down and felt her ankle, "Does it hurt?"

"It's not too bad. I'm sure if I just keep pressure off it; then it should be fine."

"Are you sure?" Tridon asked, "I have something in my bag to help with light sprains."

"If you want..."

"I'll do it. The last thing I want to do is worry your father when I drop you back off."

"Thanks Tridon..."

"No problem." Tridon looked back at the guy who was now being carried off by the off-duty police officers, "I know him. He's a former teammate of mine when I played football in middle school. Probably doesn't remember me, but he used to play for another school until he got kicked off."

"Why?"

"I think what just happen should tell you why."

"Oh..."

Tridon looked at the cupcakes on the ground and sighed, "Well, the cupcakes are ruined. They're what were making us the most."

"But don't worry." Natsuki reassured Tridon, "I saved one for you." Natsuki pointed to a tiny carryout container and smiled, "I made it for you last night. I was hoping you would eat it today, but you said your cheat day was tomorrow so..."

"Hey dudet," Tridon interrupted, "it's cool. I'll happily take it." Natsuki smiled back warmly and stood up.

"Well, I guess it's time to clean up." Natsuki commented.

"No need Natsuki." A girl around their age interrupted, "We'll take care of it. You two can head on home now."

"Really Julie?" Natsuki questioned, "But we still have more cookies to sell."

"We'll handle that." Julie responded, "You two deserve a much needed break."

"Th-Thanks Julia." Natsuki beamed a smile at her and chuckled, "Haha..."

* * *

Later that day, Tridon stopped in front of Natsuki's house to drop her off and smiled at her, "Here you go Natsuki."

"I wanna thank you again Tridon. I know it was something to waste your time on, but I really do appreciate it."

"No problem. I definitely had fun today."

"So did I." Natsuki fell silent for a second before adding, "I also wanna thank you for taking care of those bullies and that guy. If you didn't realize, that guy is also Chelsea's boyfriend. So it's obvious she would try to sick her boyfriend on you."

"Natsuki, if they cause you anymore trouble, come to me, okay? You're my friend and club member. It worries me a little to know that both her and her friends are messing with you."

"Don't worry. I can usually handle, but if I need you, I'll come right away."

"Good."

"So uh..." Natsuki fell silent again which was met with Tridon pinching her face, "Huh?"

"Sorry. You're face is like Sayori's. Very cute and pinchable."

"S-Stop!" Natsuki slapped Tridon's hand away and grabbed her cheek, "I-I'll see you Monday..." Natsuki quickly ran off with a bright pink blush on her face.

"Haha..." Tridon took a moment to make sure she got to her house and inside safely before taking out his phone. He had turned it off before he drove off earlier that day and turned it on. Once it turned on, he noticed multiple messages from "Big Sister" all telling him to answer his phone or to pick up. One last message read:

"I'm coming there this week."

Tridon frowned and threw his phone to the side and rest his head on his steering wheel. Natsuki watched all this from inside and worried a little. She mumbled to herself, "Who the hell is calling you?"


	8. Who's It Gonna Be?

Tridon arrived to the usual meetup place of the literature club which was outside under a large tree. He was the first person there and decided to take position under the tree. He leaned back and took out his phone. His eyes widened when he read the most recent message.

"No..."

The message read:

I see you little brother.

"No. No. No!" Tridon bounced his knee and quickly stood up. He tried to walk away, but walked into Monika, "Monika!" Tridon grabbed Monika and stuttered, "U-Uh..."

"What's wrong?" Monika asked worryingly, "Why are you leaving?"

"Something came up..." Tridon paused a moment until waving Monika off, but he was grabbed by Monika, "Monika please..."

"Is it that girl again?"

"No. It's someone..." Before Tridon could finish, he heard in the distance.

"Oh little brother!" Tridon turned around to see an older woman who had long hair similar to Monika, but instead of being it tied into a ponytail, it was let loose and rather pretty, "I finally get to see you again!"

"Monika..." Tridon turned around and grabbed her shoulder, "You have doomed me." Tridon thought fast and stood behind Monika, "Protect me..."

"What?" Monika stood perplexed while looking at Tridon hid behind her. She turned around to see the woman close to her face, "Uh..."

"Who are you and why is my brother behind you?"

"U-Uh..."

"Is that Lucy?" Sayori called out from behind them. She was accompanied by Natsuki and Yuri, "Oh god it is..."

"Sayori is that you?" The woman, Lucy, wondered, "Oh wow. You've grown so much!" She ran over to Sayori and gave her a bear-like hug, "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"M-Me too..." Sayori breathed.

"Is that your older sister Tridon?" Monika quickly asked. Tridon nodded and Monika stared at her, "Why are you so scared of her?"

"She's attached to me." Before Tridon could notice, Lucy rose behind him and grabbed him from behind, "Ah!"

"I've missed you the most my dearest little brother." Lucy grabbed Tridon and gave him a massive kiss on his cheek, "I've been wanting to do that since you started living on your own." Tridon held a surprised expression while Lucy rubbed her cheek on Tridon's.

"Sayori." Monika backed up to Sayori who was still catching her breath. She asked her, "Why is she treating him like that?"

"That's Tridon's sister, Lucy. She is obsessed with Tridon. So much so that she tried to have sex with him before he moved out." The girls' eyes widened as she said this, "It's why he moved out on his own."

"Wouldn't he have been considered underage resulting in statutory rape?" Monika questioned, "Does she know that?"

"Yeah, but she doesn't care."

"Tridon dear," Lucy started, "who are these other 3 trying to steal you from me?"

"Lucy!" Tridon yelled, "Stop holding me!" Tridon pushed Lucy off him and ran over to the girls, "These are my friends and club members. They're not stealing me from anyone."

"Mhm? I know how girls can get. Especially with someone like you." Lucy reached out for Tridon, but Tridon backed up, "Tridon!"

"No Lucy." Tridon stood his ground, but the girls could see that he was still hesitating, "I moved out for a reason and now I'm gonna be graduating this year."

"But!"

"No!" Tridon closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "There is someone I'm looking at right now and it's not you." Their eyes widened and shot their glances at Tridon. He stared at his sister and shook his head, "Sis, I care about and love you. There's no denying that, but there's someone else out there and I wish that as a sister that you would accept that."

Lucy stared at her brother and then to the 4 girls, "Who is it?"

"Huh?"

"Which one of these 4 girls is the one you have a crush on? I need to know so that they don't break your heart like that b*tch Erica did to you 2 years ago."

"S-Sis... I can't say who..."

"Why not? You had the guts to stand up to your sister. Why not tell who you have a crush on?" Lucy raised an eyebrow while Tridon turned around, "Go on."

Tridon stared at all the girls who were blushing at him. He closed his eyes before sprinting past the girls.

"Tridon!" The girls yell.

Sayori turned to Lucy who nodded, "Why'd you do that to him?"

"Just to see if he was fibbing or telling the truth. Now I know." She nodded once more while adding, "I know who he's crushing on between the 4 of you, but it's not my job to do that."

"Wait." Sayori read Lucy's body language and her eyes widened, "You did this on purpose!"

"Of course I did. Trust me, I wish I could just marry my brother and have him mess me up in the bed." Lucy hugged herself while salivating, but quickly fixed herself, "Aside from that, I just wanted to see who he was crushing on and now I know." Lucy winked while skipping away, "Good luck on figuring out who it is!"

"She's a real cynical person, isn't she?" Natsuki growled, "What gives her the right to do that?"

"She is his sister." Sayori commented, but she shook her head and groaned, "We gotta get to Tridon."

"At his house?"

"No, when Tridon gets like this, there's only place he goes..." Sayori closed her eyes and pointed towards the gate, "To the Sayori-mobile!"

"Sayori, you don't drive." Monika commented.

"Uh. Let's go!"

* * *

Sayori led the girls to a pond outside the city limits. The view was amazing and among that view was Tridon who was skidding rock along the water front.

"G***amn it sis. Why did she have to say that..." Tridon skid another rock while reaching for another one. As he reached for it, a rock was thrown at him, "What the...?" He turned around to see the girls standing behind him, "Oh..." Tridon walked over to a nearby tree and sat underneath it, "So you know about my vent spot now."

"So this is where you vent out frustrations?" Monika asked while taking a seat next to him, "It's a nice place."

"Hence why I chose it..." It was silent for a moment until Tridon broke it, "Look girls, I'm sorry for what my sister said. I knew she was gonna do that which is why I tried so hard to avoid her. She's obsessed with me, there's no doubt about that. But she's more concerned about who I will get with."

"She's crazy." Sayori added while taking her seat on the other side of Tridon, "But she's right. After your whole run in with Erica, she would need to take control over who you date. Whether it be any of us."

"No, no." Tridon interrupted, "Don't say that. Even then, I'm not too sure on who I like." Tridon closed it eyes and looked at the other two girls, "I've spent time with you 3," Tridon glanced between Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki, "and I've had a great time. But on how I feel between you 3 it's very... difficult."

"If I remember correctly," Sayori intervened, "you had a crush on Monika before joining the club. has that changed?"

Monika blushed while looking at Tridon. He gave her a short glance and nodded. Monika looked away and at the girls.

"In the last few weeks, I've spent in the club, I've enjoyed it all so much that my crush on Monika is just more complicated." Tridon looked at Sayori and shook his head, "Not only could it be on Yuri and Natsuki, but you too Sayori."

"W-What?"

"Yeah. The extra time I've spent with you made me realize that. My mind is just so jumbled up with who it wants. Don't get me wrong. I like and care about all of you, but who I love enough to... you know..."

"Tridon," Sayori placed a hand on Tridon's shoudler and squeezed it to ease his nerves, "don't hurt yourself trying to think about. Just think about the club and the good times we'll have."

"Yes." Yuri agreed, "Please Tridon. Don't fill your mind with that nonsense. We're all friends here." Yuri took a hold of Tridon's hand and smiled warmly at him, "We still have tons of stories to discuss and adventures to have."

"Yeah dude." Natsuki joined and lightly punched his chest, "That zombie adventure we had was awesome and I'd love to have another one soon. I don't want that ruined by any lovey-dovey stuff."

"Tridon," Monika warmly started, "there's no doubt in my mind that you would want to continue these amazing adventures. Remember," Monika reached into her bag and pulled out multiple packets of papers, "we still have tons of adventures to go on. We need your 4th wall breaking expertise to bring us into these worlds."

Tridon laughed and wiped his eye with his free hand, "Yeah." Natsuki chuckled a little and Tridon asked, "What's funny?"

"Seeing a big, muscular guy like you tear up is a little funny." Natsuki laughed little more followed by Monika chuckling too, "See, even the girl you crushed on thinks it's funny."

"Come on. I'm not that big. I'm only 6 feet 2 inches tall. 212 pounds." Tridon chuckled while looking at the four girls, "So uh, we probably won't have a legit club meeting. I'm sure it took you girls a while to get here."

"Yeah. I guess so..." Sayori tapped her chin and snapped her fingers, "Girls, why don't we have a sleepover?"

"Count me out." The girls looked in the middle to already see Tridon gone. They looked in front of them to see him saluting them, "I'm not gonna fall for that."

"Not at your house idiot. The girls will sleep at my house."

"Oh," Tridon took out a notebook and wrote in it, "So I need to keep my curtains closed, lock my doors and windows..." While writing, Sayori suplexed Tridon yet again, "Guah!"

"You idiot!" The girls all laughed as Tridon laid on the ground motionless.

"It's not funny to laugh at other's misfortunes." Tridon groaned on the ground.

"It's funny when it's you." Sayori commented as she squat down next to Tridon, "Boop." Sayori booped Tridon's nose with a bright smile on her face.

* * *

Later that night, Yuri peaked out Sayori's window towards Tridon's house. She bounced her knee and walked over to the other girls, "Why did we agree to be here?" Yuri kept looking back and forth from where they were and the direction of Tridon's house, "He's over there. We could literally just walk over there and continue our sleepover there."

"Yuri," Monika started, "you're losing yourself."

"Huh?"

"Cut back to reality."

"Uh..."

"Girls," Sayori started, "he's already been through a lot today. The last thing he needs is us bombarding him tonight." Even as she said this, Sayori smirked devilishly and added, "But that doesn't mean we can't do the boxer raid."

"Boxer raid!" Monika and Yuri exclaim.

"Shush!" Sayori covered their mouths and handed them dark clothing, "Put these on. We're about to raid some boxers."

"Isn't anyone gonna consult me?" Natsuki questioned. They all shook their heads and she sighed, "This doesn't look right, but the result will feel so good! Let's go!" Natsuki spun around quickly and was instantly in dark clothing.

The girls quickly moved through Tridon's backyard attempting not to make any noise, "Alright, so if we're gonna do this correctly," Sayori started, "we'll need to figure out how to get inside."

"Doesn't he leave his back door unlocked?" Monika questioned. She opened door and squinted her expression, "We need to talk to him about this."

"Yeah..." They agree in unison.

* * *

After travelling upstairs while trying to carefully not make any noise. The girls peaked inside to a dark room. Sayori took out his phone and turned on the flashlight on it. She shined it around and towards his bed, "He's asleep." Sayori tip-toed in and turned on the light.

"Sayori!" Yuri loudly whispered, "Why did you turn on the light?"

"He doesn't wake up to light. He does wake up to sound." They stiffened up when Tridon moaned and moved around in bed, "Just keep it quiet and we'll be fine."

Sayori walked over to his dresser and slowly opened it, "Here it is." Sayori took out a pair of boxers, "We hit the jackpot."

Monika quickly snatched and hugged the boxers, "Oh yes..."

"Monika," Yuri growled while snatching the boxers from her, "you still have the shirt from last time. It's my turn."

"But I love him more..." Monika tried to snatch it back, but Yuri held onto it, "Stop. You're gonna rip..." It was too late. The boxer ripped and it sent her crashing into Tridon who yelled and turned fiercely in his bed.

Yuri quickly rolled off his bed while Tridon tossed and turned. They all stared in confusion until they heard him say, "Stop..." He said this multiple times before settling down and turning away from them.

Yuri shuffled back towards the girls who all held worried looks on their faces. Sayori ushered them to leave his room, but while trying to leave his room, Sayori kicked his shelf causing some things to fall.

Tridon sat up quickly and took out something that shocked the girls. It was a gun, "Who's there!" Tridon pointed a gun in the direction of the girls who looked at him in shock. Tridon stared at them for a second before frowning and putting his gun down, "Damn it girls!"

"Tridon..." Sayori softly started, "Why do you have a gun?"

"I'll tell you when you explain..." Tridon looked down at his torn boxers on the floor, "You did another boxer raid on me?"

"He knows you do this?" Monika asked.

"I hit this place all the time..."

"Girls," Tridon shook his head and looked at his gun. It was .357 Colt Python. He picked it up and released the cylinder, "it's empty. I don't load it. I only have to scare off intruders." He loaded the cylinder back up and tossed it back on his bed, "My dad gave it to me when I moved out. It's solely for self-defense."

"But," Sayori stood up and stared at the gun, "you've never told me about it."

"That's because I couldn't." Tridon sat on his bed and placed his head in his hands, "I didn't mean to scare or shock all of you."

"Tridon," Yuri started, "you started tossing and turning while sleeping. You were mumbling 'stop' for a moment before settling back down."

"Oh. Uh. I didn't know. I usually don't dream or anything. I don't know what I do when I'm asleep." Tridon shook his head and grabbed his gun. He rolled the cylinder multiple times while looking at the floor, "I've never had to use this thing except one other time."

"What?"

"Sayori remembers that during my first month here that there was an intruder in my house. He broke in and I fired a warning shot. That's when Sayori called the police from her house."

"So that night when I heard that loud pop, that was from you and not the intruder?"

"Yeah. It was the first time I had actually held it and fired a shot. Actually," Tridon stood up and moved his dresser to the side revealing a hole in the wall, "that's where the bullet went."

"Wow..."

"Tridon," Monika shakingly started, "we're sorry for startling you."

"I should be sorry for pointing my gun at you girls." Tridon looked around and sighed, "I might as well let you girls continue your sleepover here. One of you can take my bed. I'll sleep on the couch downstairs."

"No." Natsuki intervened, "I think you should sleep up here with us. It is your room."

"But I can't sleep in a room with a bunch of girls. It just doesn't feel right."

"Dude," Sayori started, "we've slept together before. What's the difference?"

"The difference was that we were kids. We're young adults heading into college."

"Oh," Sayori cooed, "are you worried something spicy might happen."

"Spicy would be an understatement."

"Well don't worry dearest childhood friend of mine." Sayori wrapped her arm around Tridon and smiled brightly at him, "I'm we can all control ourselves. Right?" Sayori turned to the others and specifically looked at Monika and Yuri who twirled their hair and avoiding her gaze. Sayori frowned and yelled, "Right?!"

"Right!" They yell in response.

"Good!"

* * *

Just a few moments later, the club laid on the floor in a sort of circle formation, but none of them were asleep yet. Tridon looked above him at the girls and sighed.

"Girls..." He started, "I just wanna tell you that..."

"Tridon," Sayori interrupted, "if you're worried about the whole crush thing then don't worry about it." Sayori turned over and looked at Tridon who looked at her back, "I'll be honest with you, I was pretty shocked to find out that you did have a crush on me. I don't know if I'm ready or even want to reciprocate those if I somehow be the one you choose, but trust me, it's fine."

"What about the rest of you?" Tridon asked.

"Well," Monika softly responded, "I initially didn't know what to think of you when you first joined. You were rambunctious and quite the character, but after that first day when you took the reigns and helped us get the club started..." Monika smiled and finished with, "I just knew that this year was gonna be the best ever."

"I thought that our day learning how to live alone was fun." Yuri added, "Granted, we did flood your laundry room, but that was all good in fun. Not to mention our zombie thriller."

"Yeah." Tridon agreed, "That was pretty fun."

"Let's not forget yesterday at the event." Natsuki laughed, "You protected me from those bullies and that guy. You did get punched, but you still held that nice smile you have everyday."

"You got punched?" Monika and Yuri worriedly asked, "Are you okay?"

"Monika, Yuri, I'm fine."

"Yeah, but he did hit you hard." Natsuki commented.

"Ah pssh, I was distracted. If I had another go at him, I would've landed him in the hospital." Tridon yawned and stretched, "Well, we still have class tomorrow. Let's actually sleep tomorrow."

"Yeah." The girls agreed and just a few moments, the Dokis and Tridon all fell asleep opening a new day of adventure and craziness.


	9. Escaping Hell

"Alright everyone," Monika began, "we have our next workshop submission by Yuri. This one is called: Escape From Death."

"Yes. I've been waiting for this." Yuri turned to Tridon and smiled at him, "Tridon, if you could do the honors."

"No problem." Tridon snapped his fingers and they were now in a dark, dirty room. Tridon looked down and saw that he was still wearing his school uniform, "What the hell?" Tridon snapped his fingers again and he was now in torn clothing. Torn jogging pants and a shirt. He was dirty and slightly bloddy, "That's better."

"Tridon." Yuri called out.

He turned around to see the girls all chained to the wall, "Oh. Am I suppose to be chained up too?"

"Yes Tridon." Yuri answered.

"Aw man." He snapped his fingers once again and he was now bound by his legs across the room, "Why are my legs bound and chained?"

"Didn't you read the story?" Yuri questioned.

"One moment." Tridon responded. Tridon tapped his chin and nodded, "Oh yeah, I gotta... take that saw on the wall there and either saw the chain off or my foot..."

"What?!" The other 3 yell.

"Yuri, are you secretly a sadist?"

"I'm not a sadist Tridon."

"Well, in the story, the character can cut off the chain, but it'll take too long." Tridon took some deep breaths and grabbed the saw near him, "I'll just have to hobble around with one foot."

"Are you sure you won't try at least?" Monika tempted, "The last thing we want for you is to die because you couldn't get away fast."

"Man, that's grim..." Tridon looked at the chain and pulled on it. He slowly turned up and grabbed the chain, "Ah damn. I'll be pushing my knee to the limit." He scooted over to the wall of the chain and proceeded to pull it with his strength.

"What are you doing?" Yuri wondered, "Are you trying to rip it from the wall?"

"Obviously." He pulled and pulled with all his might. The veins in his arm popped out and his face turned beet red, "Come on!" The girls watched as he miraculously ripped the chain from the wall, "Ah hell!" Tridon fell back and nodded, "Alright!"

"Tridon the key on the table!" The girls yell.

He turned and hobbled towards the table. Since his legs were still bound by the chains, he grabbed the key and fell to the ground. He quickly unlocked the chains around his foot and ran over to the girls. He unlocked Yuri, Monika, and Sayori, but it was too late with Natsuki. The wall she was one opened up and she was pulled into it.

"Natsuki no!" Tridon tried to dive for her, but he wasn't fast enough. Tridon punched the ground and turned to Yuri. He looked at her with a 'Really?' face.

"You're the one who conspired this place."

"Conspired from your story!"

"Look," Monika interrupted, "this was planned. Someone was gonna die."

"But Natsuki?" Sayori questioned, "Why not all of us?"

"We'll be killed off progressively." Yuri explained, "I don't know who's next since I don't have name for the characters. We'll just figure it out along the way." Yuri walked ahead of everyone with Monika following behind.

"Sayori," Tridon started, "let's stick close together."

"Right..." Sayori stuck extremely close to Tridon while catching back up with the two.

* * *

After walking aimlessly again, Yuri stopped everyone when they approached a long corridor, "Do any of you remember this?"

"This is the..." Tridon looked around and saw a gun on the ground, "So am I gonna fight alone or?"

"Yeah." The girls all agreed.

"Okay." Tridon picked the gun up and checked if it was loaded. He sighed and walked into the middle of the hall, "Why am I doing this?"

"Tridon..." Monika slowly commented.

"Like, wouldn't all 4 of us fighting be a better plan than just me alone."

"Tridon." Sayori continued.

"Seriously girls..."

"Tridon turn around!" Yuri finally yelled.

Tridon turned around to see several skinless creatures with extremely long, sharp nails, "Nice..." Tridon jumped over one as it leaped for him. He fired at another and grabbed another from the air. He slammed it on the ground and fired a full clip into it.

He was grabbed from behind and was slashed across his chest, "Ah!" He groaned. He flipped the one on his back into the other and ran back to the girls, "Help!" However, he was pulled to the ground while the two remaining creatures prepared to stab him. He used the grated railing on the floor to pull himself away.

The creatures stabbed the grated railing and were stuck, "Geez..." Tridon rubbed the back of his head and sighed, "Come on!" He yelled frustratingly. He walked over towards the end of the hall and saw a lever, "I remember this from the story." He pulled the lever when the girls joined him. This opened the hatches causing the creatures to fall through.

"I didn't think you were gonna use that." Yuri commented, "The characters in the story didn't use it."

"Yeah well, your characters were generic horror story nobodies that didn't know what they were doing." Tridon looked over at Yuri and sighed, "Maybe our personalities can help with those generic nobodies."

"Maybe, but that was a little harsh." Yuri quietly stated.

"Ah don't worry." Tridon pat Yuri's head and smiled at her, "Criticism won't always be peaches and rainbows." Tridon continued to pat Yuri's head who was completely taking it all in.

"Ahem." Monika cleared her throat extremely loud gaining the attention of Tridon and Yuri, "Let's get going before one more of us dies. Maybe _two_ of us..."

Tridon and Yuri held blank expressions while Monika and Sayori continued on. They looked at each other and chuckled at one another before catching up with the other two.

The remaining 4 arrived to a large room with a ladder in the middle. Yuri groaned and started, "I forgot about this." Yuri rubbed her temples and continued, "One of us won't make it."

"Don't we all have to climb that ladder?" Sayori questioned, "While we avoid..." Sayori turned around to see a group of male lions stalking them, "Oh no..."

"Lions Yuri?" Tridon berated, "Really?"

"It needed some challenges."

"And those challenges require us to die?" Monika questioned, "Yuri, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" She yelled. The lions roared loudly when Yuri yelled, "Ah!" Yuri sprinted towards the ladder.

"Yuri!" Monika yelled while following behind her.

"So Sayori," Tridon started, "how do we get through this?"

"Run?"

"Yup." Tridon hauled Sayori over his shoulder and ran to the ladder, "But you can't run very fast!"

"Right!"

Yuri and Monika were already climbing the ladder. Tridon placed Sayori on the ladder and yelled, "Climb!" Tridon pushed Sayori up and started to climb behind her. However, one of the lions leaped in the air and grabbed him in its mouth, "Ah!"

"Tridon!" The girls yell.

"Go!" He yelled to them, "Just go!" Tridon kicked the lion off of him and ran off.

"No Tridon." Sayori tried to go down, but Monika grabbed her, "Huh? Monika!"

"Come on!" Monika pulled Sayori up who continued to look back while Tridon fought off and ran from the lions.

* * *

Once they got to the top, Sayori pushed Monika against a wall, "Why'd we have to leave him!" Sayori yelled, "I thought you loved him!"

"This is some good material." Yuri commented while writing in her notebook, "Keep it going you two."

"Sayori, this is just some fake scenario. Natsuki isn't dead and Tridon isn't dead." Monika placed her hands on Sayori's shoulders and reassured her, "Sayori, I care about him, I do. Still, we can't let his sacrifice be in vain. We have to get through this for him."

Sayori held her head down and sniffled, "Alright..." She quickly turned to Yuri and asked, "How was that?"

"Perfect. Thanks for the scene idea." Yuri nodded and finished writing in her journal, "Let's go girls. We have 1 more area to get through."

* * *

After walking for several minutes, the girls came across 3 doorways, "Okay," Yuri started, "one of us has to choose a door. We can all survive, but one door will represent your greatest fear."

"Fears?" Sayori questioned. Sayori tapped her head and nodded, "Uh..."

"Just stand in front of the door Sayori." Monika intervened.

Sayori looked up to see Monika and Yuri already at a door, "Oh..." Sayori stood in front of the last remaining door and nodded to them, "See you girls on the other side!"

Sayori ran in to see a wedding ceremony, "A wedding?" Sayori laughed and leaned on a nearby tree, "Why would I be scared of a marriage?"

"Sayori." Tridon called out shocking Sayori.

"Huh? You escaped those lions?"

"Lions?" Tridon confusingly asked, "Of course I did. Sayori, that was 7 years ago."

"Wait what?"

"Yeah. I hope my kids didn't hit you in the head yesterday."

"K-Kids?"

"Yeah. Remember?" Tridon scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Geez. They gotta learn to stop rough housing so much. You'd expect young girls to have a little more sense." Tridon wrapped his arm around Sayori and led her to the ceremony, "I got married today. Technically you weren't my best man, but hey, best woman is just as cool."

"Wait, I thought..."

"Oh there she is." Tridon quickly ran over to who seemed to be the bride. Sayori was rather speechless. She watched Tridon walk over to the bride.

"No..." Sayori shook her head and looked away. However, when looking away, she she was surrounded by 3 different brides. All of them looking to represent the other 3 dokis, "He won't do that. He promised me..."

During her nightmare, a bright shined from it. He heard Tridon call out, "Sayori! Run!"

"Tridon...?" He felt someone grab her and drag her back through the hall of nightmares.

"I don't know what's going on in here," Tridon started, "but we gotta get out of this quickly."

When they got out of the hall, Sayori stared at the ground while Tridon huffed and puffed, "Shiet..." Tridon looked at Sayori who was obviously shaken up, "Sayori?"

"I'm fine..."

"What happened in there?"

"Nothing that should concern you." Sayori stood up and glared at Tridon, "Where are the others?"

"I'm not sure, but I found Natsuki." Tridon pointed over to Natsuki who had some blood on her face and arm, "I found her when running from those lions."

"I'm glad he got to me when he could." Natsuki commented, "I had some of those sharp nail creatures chasing me, but Tridon came in and forced them to fight the lions."

"I don't know where the other two are, but Natsuki and I found the exit from this place." Tridon held his hand out to Sayori and added, "Let's finally end this dangerous, yet exciting adventure."

Sayori took a moment to look at his hand and nodded, "Yeah." Sayori smiled and took his hand, "Let's go best friend."

"Best childhood friend." Tridon corrected.

"I'm sorry to ruin this warming moment." Natsuki interrupted, "But more of those creatures are back." They turned around to see a group of them crawling behind them, "I think it's time to book it."

"Yeah." Sayori jumped on Tridon's back and pointed ahead of him, "Tally-ho!"

"Didn't expect this..." Tridon sighed and ran with Sayori on his back. Natsuki followed close by while the creatures gave chase. A bright light shined in front of them similar to before while the three sprinted through the light. They huffed and puffed as the setting changed back to the outside of the school.

"Whew..." Tridon breathed, "That was an interesting story."

"I thought it was fun." Sayori commented, "Until that last challenge..."

"I didn't like that I was the one to go first." Natsuki groaned, "I blame you." Natsuki kicked Tridon in his shin causing him to kneel down. Sayori landed on her feet while Tridon rubbed his shin. Natsuki bent down in front of him and smiled, "But you did come back for me, so I appreciate that..."

"I'm glad I could be of service." Tridon said through sharp breaths, "So. Where are the other two?"

"Eh." Natsuki answered, "They probably already found their way out. I just wanna go home and shower..."

"Same here." Sayori agreed, "I don't know how, but I still smell like blood, guts, and sweat."

"Right." Tridon laughed, "I'm sure they're fine." The group made their way back home after a rather eventful day.

* * *

-Epilogue-

"Okay Yuri," Monika started, "how do we get out?"

"I don't know." Yuri responded.

The two were stuck in a supply closet in the school. They were talking inside as the door was somehow locked.

"Why did we have to get locked in the only closet in the school that is locked from the outside?" Monika questioned, "We probably shouldn't have abandoned them."

"It's how the story went."

"Yeah but for us to be stuck in here?" Monika sighed and banged on the door, "Someone! Help!"

"Nobody's coming Monika."

"Have you tried calling someone?"

"We don't have service in here."

"Oh my god. Help!" The door opened to reveal Tridon yawning, "Tridon!" Monika hugged him while Yuri stepped out in relief, "I'm so glad my cries for help reached you."

"Nah, I just assume you girls were still here." Tridon sighed and stretched, "I'm tired now so..."

"How'd you even get inside?" Yuri questioned, "Isn't the school locked down during these hours?"

"Girls. You know I can just snap and things happen right?"

"Uh..."

Tridon snapped his fingers and now they were in his room, "Like that."

"Oh! Are we sleeping here again?!" Monika quickly asked with a gleam in her eye.

"Sure we are." Tridon snapped his fingers again and the girls were teleported to their own rooms.

"Darn it!" They yell in unison.

"I've had a rough day already." Tridon yawned and fell asleep right away on his bed.


	10. Fantasy World

"Now that we've recovered from Yuri's world," Monika began, "we can now focus on a world that seems a little more forgiving."

"Next up," Tridon continued, "is Natsuki and her world of fantasy!"

"Yes!" Natsuki cheered to herself, "Tridon, if you would be so kind as to create said world."

"No problem." Tridon snapped his fingers and they were transported to bustling marketplace that had a fantasy vibe to it, "Nice." Tridon chuckled and walked off.

"Wait Tridon." Natsuki followed, "We have to follow the story."

"Uh." Tridon looked at the girls who all had fantasy like armor and weapons, "Wait. So Monika is an archer. Sayori is a fighter. Yuri is a mage. I'm a..." Tridon looked at himself and his back before sighed, "Why am I a rogue?"

"Because it fits you." Natsuki answered with a smile.

"So why are you a paladin?" Natsuki brought her sword to Tridon's neck and he stared down at her, "I see." He pushed her sword down and turned to the other 3, "So what about you 3?"

"I don't have a problem with it." Monika checked her outfit out and smiled brightly, "Do you like it Tridon?"

"To be honest, I like Sayori's outfit better." Tridon gave Sayori a thumbs up and winked ,"Much respect Sayori."

"Hehe." Sayori chuckled, "Well, you did conjure this up. So I guess you had some work on this."

"You are my best childhood friend." Tridon laughed, "That doesn't mean I can't have fun too."

"Oh you..."

Monika and Yuri held blank expressions as Natsuki said, "Well, let's get going. We have to go accept a quest."

"Is this a game or a story?" Tridon asked as the 3 walked off.

"Oh shut up you idiot." Natsuki responded.

Monika and Yuri huddled together and whispered to one another, "Yuri," Monika started, "when did those two get closer than before?"

"Well," She responded, "they've always been close since they're childhood friends, but I get what you're saying. She seems a little more flirtatious towards his comments."

"Do you think she's realizing her feelings?"

"Probably..."

"Hey!" Tridon called out, "Are you two gonna keep huddling up, or do we have to leave you two again?!"

"We're coming!" They respond in unison.

* * *

Natsuki and Tridon looked through over a bulletin board, "In the story," Natsuki started, "we take the quest to save the princess from a group of bandits."

"Okay." Tridon looked around and nodded, "Here it is." Tridon ripped the paper from the bulletin. The two turned around and Tridon walked into someone, sending them to the ground, "Did you see something?"

"Hm?" Natsuki asked.

"Oh nothing."

"Hey!" The person Tridon knocked over yelled, "What makes you think you can knock me down and not apologize?!"

"Wow." Natsuki commented in shock, "People who respond to us. That's new Tridon."

"None of our stories has had that so far." Tridon responded, "But this guy is someone I wanted to add. See if you tell if he resembles someone."

"Okay." Natsuki responded with a cheeky smile.

They both slowly turned around to see someone who resembled the same guy that tried to fight Tridon at the baking event. Tridon and Natsuki bumped fists behind their backs while the person confronted them.

"I'm waiting!"

"Waiting for what?" Tridon sarcastically asked.

"My apology!" The person exclaimed, "I am Sir Buckshank III and I will not be disrespected in such a manner."

"Sir Buckshank?" Natsuki whispered to Tridon.

"I could'a went with something else, but I saved myself the trouble." He responded. Tridon laughed and stepped up, "I'm so very sorry that my attire was ruined by you."

"You dare?!" Sir Buckshank breathed in shock, "You'll beg for mercy once I'm done with you!"

"Yeah can we do that after our quest?" Natsuki questioned, "After that, my good friend here can kick you ass then."

"Yeah." Tridon stepped up and growled, "Unless you'd like your ass kicked now?"

"I-I will get my vengeance on you!" The man walked away obviously peeved off while Tridon and Natsuki laughed wholeheartedly.

"Oh man..." Natsuki said in between laughs, "That dude is such a tool!"

"I know right?!" Tridon laughed as well while the other 3 watched on.

 _"When did they get so close?!"_ Monika wondered to herself _, "Well, I haven't had an alone chapter with him yet. Oh no! I'm getting the Game Treatment!"_ Sweat trickled from the back of her neck and while biting her fingernails, _"I gotta get my own chapter, Writer! By myself and nobody else!"_

_Alright fine._

Monika smiled brightly just as Tridon and Natsuki joined with them, "What the hell is up with you Monika?" Monika snapped out of her trance while Tridon asked, "Are you okay?"

"Never better!" She quickly responded.

"Alright." Tridon slowly turned to the others and held up the piece of paper, "Alright, so nearby, a princess was kidnapped by a group of bandits. They're holding her hostage until they get their ransom money."

"I don't know about all of you," Natsuki continued, "but I've seen enough... ahem... off-brand anime to know what happens when a princess is captured by a group of bandits."

"No Natsuki." Sayori stopped her and shook her head, "I don't want to think about that."

"Right." Natsuki nodded, "So where does this quest take us?"

"I'll let you do the honor Ms. Paladin." Tridon handed Natsuki the piece of paper and stretched his legs and arms while saying, "I'll just make my way through the trees."

"Alright then." Natsuki read it through and ushered everyone to follow her, "So in the story, we make our way through a dense forest."

* * *

They traveled until they approached a massive forest area, "So is this it?" Yuri questioned, "It's quite dense."

"Yeah." Natsuki responded, "The bandits brought her to this dense forest so that they could ambush the heroes." Natsuki turned to Tridon who was already in a tree, "But our monkey here will recon for us."

"The 'monkey' won't do it if you use that nickname again." Tridon respond as he threw an acorn at her head.

"Fine. Tridon. We'll need you to be slightly farther in front of us so you can scope it out for us." Tridon saluted and was on his way.

"Let's push on girls." Natsuki ordered, "We have a princess to save!"

* * *

The group made their way through forest. They traveled for quite sometime before Tridon whistled to them, "I sense movement in the trees." He called out, "Wait until I give the signal." Tridon moved through the trees while the girls waited.

"So," Yuri started, "we have that winter dance at the end of the semester."

"Oh yeah." Sayori laughed, "Tridon and I always skip out on that thing every year to goof off. We hate doing those stupid dances."

"I think it would be neat." Yuri retorted, "Dressing in elegant dresses and more importantly," Yuri fiddled with her hair and blushed, "dancing with a certain club member." The girls all stiffened up as soon as Yuri said this, "I was hoping that I would be that one person to dance with Tridon."

"W-What about me?" Monika intervened, "I think Tridon and me would be the power couple of the night."

"I'm his best childhood friend." Sayori retorted, "I'll be the one to dance with him if anything."

"You just said you two don't like stuff like this." Natsuki scowled, "Unlike all of you, I won't need to try hard. The both of us are usually on the same page. All I gotta do is ask and he'll be mine to dance with."

"Girls." Tridon called out from behind them, "Path is cleared."

They turned around to see Tridon standing there with his hood down. Behind him, people strung by their feet upside down from the trees.

"Oh..."

"Let's go." Tridon leaped back into the tree with the girls nodding at one another.

* * *

They moved through the forest a little longer until Tridon whistled again. They looked up to see him pointing ahead of them. He placed his finger on his mouth while he moved ahead. He approached a campsite where a group of armed men guarded a tent.

Tridon closed his eyes and listened in, "Has nobody gotten to her?"

"No. Nobody wants their..."

"Okay," Tridon interrupted, "let me translate that into something more 'T' rated." Tridon cleared his throat and said, "They don't want a certain someone to bite their... twinkie off." Tridon shook his head and made his way back.

However, while trying to get back, one of the branches he hopped on broke and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Huh?" The armed men wondered.

"Damn it!" One of them growled, "Go check it out! Secure the perimeter!"

"Oh no." Tridon ran up a tree and kicked off it. Once in the air, he took out some throwing knifes and threw them at the 3 closest people, killing them instantly. Tridon turned around and whistled loudly.

Natsuki heard it and ran ahead, "That's our queue! Let's go!" The others followed behind her to help Tridon take on the bandits.

Tridon stabbed a bandit and jumped away when the girls arrived, "I'll go for the tent to get the princess." He called back, "Hold them off." Tridon leaped ahead while the girls stayed behind.

"I wonder who the princess is." Sayori wondered while roundhouse kicking a bandit, "It looks like he only makes them people he knows."

"He doesn't know many people." Natsuki commented, "It shouldn't be too hard to think about it."

"Apart from the 4 of us," Yuri added while firing a lightning bolt at a bandit, "who else does he know?"

Monika, who fired a volley of arrows at a group of bandits, wiped her forehead before answering, "Well, we have Tiff, his sister, and that's about it."

"Do you think it could be one of those 3?" Sayori wondered.

"Wait," Yuri interrupted, "there's one more..." An arrow was shot past Yuri that went straight through a bandit, "Oh god..."

"You're welcome Yuri."

Tridon approached the tent and was about to open it, but an axe flew towards him from inside. It narrowly missed him and he backed up while readying his weapon, "Okay..." A larger man stepped out wielding multiple axes. Tridon stepped back and stretched his neck, "Big hoss..."

"Do you think you can disrupt our business?!" The man yelled.

"Kinda." Tridon sarcastically answered, "It's my job."

"Your job will get you killed!" The man swung his axe at Tridon, but dodged and flipped over the man. Before the man could react, he was shot in both knees multiple times by arrows fired by Monika.

Sayori followed it up by multiple roundhouse kicks before ending it with a stiff super kick to his face. The man stumbled onto his knees and looked up to see Yuri now holding two emei piercers. She stabbed the man in his chest and smiled devilishly before twisting them ever so quickly, stunning the man.

She stepped away to allow Natsuki to charge him full force with her shield. She drove him into the ground and continued doing so until she got to Tridon. Tridon looked down at him and rubbed the blade of his weapon.

"This was all too easy." Tridon stabbed the man in the face and smirked, "And that's how it's done girls."

"Whoo!" The girls cheered.

"That was insane." Tridon stretched and sighed, "Now let's see who that princess is." Tridon and the dokis stood in front of the tent and nodded to one another. He slowly opened the tent and inside, Tridon's expression changed. He shook his head and ran off. The dokis, confused, looked inside the tent and instantly knew. The princess looked exactly like Erica.

The setting changed back to their school and the dokis all looked at each other, "I guess we know now." Natsuki commented, "What do we do?"

"We find him." Sayori answered.

* * *

In front of his house, Tridon sat outside while staring at his phone. He scrolled through pictures of himself and Erica when they dated. He looked up to see the girls all staring at him. He avoided their gazes and stared at the ground.

"Tridon," Sayori started, "did you put her there for a reason?"

"Not really. When I make those worlds of ours stories, everything is almost randomly generated. I can mess with certain parts like making certain appear, but there's a limitation to that."

"So Erica showing up was complete unintentional?" Yuri asked inciting a nod from him, "She's still on your mind huh?"

"A little." Tridon stood up and walked towards his door, "Uh, I'm just gonna lay down for a bit. I had a great time. I loved the story Natsuki." Tridon opened the door and waved to them, "Other than that, I'll see all of you tomorrow."

The girls all stared at one another before walking off. Sayori stared at the door and then to her phone. She shook her head and frowned, "I'm going to talk to you," She stared at his house and added, "and you." She turned around and made her way to her house.


	11. Monika's Plan

Monika rose up and stretched greatly in her bed. She stared at the window and smiled, "Ah." She walked over to the window and opened it, "What a great Saturday." She made her way to her bathroom and started her morning routine.

While preparing her breakfast, she received a phone call from someone, "Hm?" She picked it up to see that it was Tridon calling her. She dropped her spatula and stuttered, "W-Why is he calling?"

"What's taking her so long?" Tridon wondered on the other line, "I would've thought that she would pick it up instantly."

"What do I do?" Monika repeated while pacing around her kitchen, "If I answer, I'll sound like a wreck because he called me. If I don't, he'll think I'm a jerk!"

"This is ringing for a long time." Tridon commented, "I wonder why."

"Come on Monika." Monika said to herself in the bathroom mirror, "Just answer and talk to him like normal." Then the reflection responded back, "But what happens when you say something stupid and he questions your intelligence."

Tridon walked out of the bathroom after washing his hands and sighed, "This ringing is going on for quite a long time."

Monika, now carrying a handheld mirror, continued to speak to herself, "Okay, I say something stupid. What if he thinks it's cute?" Then her reflection spoke back, "What are the odds of that?"

"Oh nevermind." Monika tossed her mirror onto a nearby chair and quickly answered the phone. However, before she could reach it with her left hand, her right hand stopped her, "What?" She tried to move her right hand, "Let go!"

"I wonder what would happen if I just go to her house." Tridon wondered while he stared outside. He just shook his head and walked back towards his kitchen, "Nah. She probably wouldn't want me at her house."

"I just want to invite him to my house now!" Monika yelled while fighting her other hand, "Just let me...!" Monika slapped her phone and accidentally answered it.

"Oh." Tridon shocking started, "She actually answered.

"What do I do?!" He heard her yell.

"Monika?"

"Ah!" She yelled once again. She grabbed her phone and yelled, "Hey Tridon!"

"Okay." Tridon rubbed his ear and said, "Don't do that."

"Sorry..." Monika took some deep breaths and asked, "I actually want to just hang out with you today. Can we?"

"Sure thing Monika. Just open your door."

"Huh?"

"Ah just kidding. I'm right behind you." Monika turned around to see Tridon standing behind her.

"Ah!"

"Hey Monika."

"Don't do that." Monika lightly punched Tridon in his chest and puffed her cheeks, "You scared me..."

"Looks like something else scared you." Tridon looked around Monika's house to see that it was a mess, "Did you have a fight with someone?"

"You could say that." Monika quickly answered.

"Right. Well, nothing like a good snap can't fix." Tridon snapped his fingers and her house cleaned itself on its own, "Perfect."

"Wow. You gotta show me how to do that."

"Nope." Tridon quickly responded, "This is a power that only I must use. Its secrets must be kept by me..."

"You just don't know how to teach it to someone right?"

"Yup."

Monika chuckled and turned away from him, "Okay, just gotta do some fun things today."

"Monika," Tridon whispered to her, "why are we whispering?"

"Ah!"

"Geez. Stop yelling."

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to say yes..."

"What? Why would I not say yes. You're the smartest, most beautiful girl in the school. I'm lucky to even be in the house of Monika!"

"O-Oh..." Monika blushed and fiddled with her hair, "Why thank you Tridon..."

"To be honest, you're leagues above me. I don't expect anything more than this." Monika shot surprised look at Tridon who continued, "Actually, being in that club makes me lucky a little bit. I'm sure there would be tons of guys who want to be in a position. Some loser like me must be lucky to have joined this club at my best childhood friends extent."

"Why do you sell yourself so low Tridon?" Monika questioned, "If anything, we're lucky to have you."

"For what though? I make club meetings interesting with the snap of my fingers," Tridon snapped his fingers and they were now at the fountain where the baking event was held, "but that's about it."

"I uh..."

"I feel like that's all I'm used for. Wait, what if the government finds out that I can do this? What if they come after me?!"

_"Okay, he's obviously not gonna listen to a word I say. He needs to understand that he there for more than just his reality-altering power. I love him. We all love him and he's done so much more for than just make a day at the club interesting. He's shown us something that means so much more than just the club."_

"I gotta get outta here!" Tridon tried to run away, but Monika grabbed his shirt collar, "Huh?"

"Tridon, you obviously don't think of yourself highly. How about we do this. You teleported us to the park and what does a girl and boy do at a park?"

"What?"

"Dude, you've had a girlfriend before. Think."

"Uh." Tridon thought to himself and snapped his fingers. In his hands were a picnic blanket and basket, "Have a picnic?"

"I was just gonna say have a walk, but that's even better!" Monika wrapped her arms around Tridon's and smiled warmly at him, "Let's have a picnic!"

"What about the others?" Tridon felt her squeeze his arm and could feel the circulation being cutoff, "I see. That was very concise..." In the distance, Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri peaked out from behind a tree and spied on them.

"So Sayori," Natsuki began, "how does it feel to see your best friend on a date with another girl?"

"They're not on a date." Sayori quickly responded, "They're just..."

"It looks like a date Sayori." Yuri interrupted.

"Definitely a date." Natsuki agreed.

"It's not a date!"

Tridon and Monika turned behind them, but saw nobody behind them, "I could'a swore I heard Sayori yelling."

"Same here..."

"Oh well." Tridon shrugged his shoulders and continued.

Behind the tree, Natsuki was on Sayori's back while covering her back, "Shut up or they'll hear us!"

"Girls," Yuri intervened, "they're on the move." They peaked out again to see them already halfway across the park, "Let's go." Yuri ordered.

Tridon and Monika placed the picnic equipment under a tree that gave them enough shade and took a seat.

"You know Monika," Tridon began, "I've never done this sort of thing. Sayori and I always saw this as very cliche and boring."

"It can be, but it matters on what you do during the picnic." Monika laughed, "What do you typically do at a park?"

"Well, back in the day, I'd go with some friends and play some football, but there's only two of us and I don't know if I wanna play tackle football with you."

"Scared are we?" Monika teased.

"No." He quickly answered.

"Why didn't you play touch?"

"Monika, I was 10 at the time. I don't think my mind would even consider something like touch football."

"We can still throw a ball around. Although, I probably won't throw very hard or accurate."

"Oh, I can show you how to throw a good ball."

"Really?"

"Hell yeah!" Tridon exclaimed, "It'll give me a moment to clean up on my technique." Tridon snapped his fingers and a football landed in his hand. He stood up, stretched his shoulders and held a hand out to Monika, "Shall we?"

"Yes, we shall." Monika happily took Tridon's hand and the two walked over to an open area near their picnic spot.

Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri poked their heads out of the picnic basket. Sayori was munching on something while the other two watched them in the distance.

"Monika has us all beat by a lot." Natsuki stated, "But that doesn't mean we can't catch up."

"How?" Yuri asked, "She's beautiful, smart, and athletic. She's 3 things that are perfect for a girl. Especially one for Tridon."

"Listen," Sayori interrupted after swallowing what she was eating, "you two may not realize it, but we all have something that he likes. Granted, I'm more ahead of Monika since I'm his best friend, but you two have something he likes too."

"Like what?" They ask in unison.

"I don't know, but that's up to you two to find out." Sayori went back into the basket and said, "Come on, we need a better angle." The two girls sighed and followed Sayori back into the basket.

Tridon showed Monika the football and said, "So, you wanna keep your fingers on the laces." Tridon looked at Monika's hand and asked, "Monika, can I see your hand?"

"Sure thing." Monika held up her hand and Tridon placed his on to hers, "W-What are you doing?"

"Looking at the size of your hand." He answered, "My hand is 10 and a half inches. Yours look to be just 2 and a half inches smaller than mine." Tridon drew his hand away and gripped the ball, "Since your hand is around 8 and a half inches, your pinkie and ring ringer will remain on the laces of the ball."

"Okay..." Tridon helped Monika fix her grip and could only get lost while Tridon helped her.

"Come on Monika..."

"Right." She quickly responded, "Sorry..."

"It's fine." Once Monika fixed her grip, Tridon stood across from Monika, "Alright, when you throw, your index and middle should be the last fingers to leave the ball. When you get in motion to throw, make sure you throw it like your pointing at your target. Try it."

Monika reeled her arm back far and threw it at Tridon. He snagged out the air and nodded, "Was that good?" She asked.

"Uh, you reeled your arm back too far. I know you're trying to get distance and reeling your arm like that will only make it more inaccurate. That's why the ball went over my head instead of straight at me." Tridon snapped his finger and a target net appeared in front, "Alrighty Monika, watch me."

Behind them, the other 3 peaked out by a nearby tree, "So he hasn't played football since middle school, right?" Natsuki asked.

"Yeah," Sayori answered, "but he likes to toss a football around with me every now and then."

"Can you throw?" Yuri asked.

"No." Sayori scoffed, "He's the real thrower between us two. He can catch too, but he can **throw**. Watch."

Tridon stretched his shoulder and looked at the netting. He reeled back and threw a straight bullet. Tridon ringed his shoulder and nodded, "Still got it." He turned to Monika who looked on impressed, "I guess your impressed, huh?"

"Definitely. I could've sworn I felt the wind move my hair."

"Don't expect to do that immediately. It takes time to build up your technique. Let's keep working on it."

* * *

An hour later, Tridon and Monika made their way back to their picnic setup and sighed, "That was nice..." Monika sighed, "But my arm is sore now." Monika ringed her arm and stretched, "I can't imagine doing that so much for an hour..."

"You get used to it after doing 8 times in a season."

"You played in 8 game seasons?"

"Yeah. I never played for the school. I played in a youth league and it was an 8 game season. 9 if you include the championship game."

"Wow. Was it fun?"

"Definitely. I was the youth league's mvp two years in a row before I got injured."

"Do you remember your stats?" Monika asked while reaching into the basket, "If you were mvp, I bet your numbers were pretty insane." Monika took out a sandwich and proceeded to munch on it.

"Well. My 1st year, I had..." While Tridon thought to himself, the 3 girls sat near the fountain all holding up a book or magazine of some sort and peaking through it.

"That looks good..." Sayori commented while salivating.

"Do you just wanna join them Sayori?" Natsuki asked.

"No. I promised myself that I wouldn't interrupt them. I'm a good friend!" Sayori yelled. This caused Natsuki and Yuri to cover her mouth and fall into the water.

Tridon and Monika looked over confused, but shrugged their shoulders, "I hope they know hobos sometimes pee in that fountain." Tridon commented, "But anyway, I had 2,855 passing yards. 29 touchdowns and 8 interceptions."

"So you still turned the ball over?"

"Hey. Nobody's perfect." Tridon lightly nudged Monika's shoulder and smiled warmly at her, "I ran the ball too."

"How many yards?"

"I think just under 550 yards. 6 touchdowns."

"Oh. That's nice. What about year two?"

"Second year, I threw for 3,034 yards, 33 touchdowns and 11 interceptions." Monika raised her eyebrow while Tridon said his interception count, "They wanted me to throw more and our receivers weren't the best."

"Mhm..." Tridon started to pinch cheeks lightly causing her to laugh, "Ah! Stop!"

"Don't treat me like that!"

"I won't! Hahaha!"

Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki all peaked their heads out of the fountain and frowned.

"Was he always this charming?" Natsuki questioned, "How can he have Monika right under his thumb like that?!"

"Well, she does have a crush on him and this is the first time she's been alone with him." Yuri explained, "I guarantee you that if she knew we were here, she would change her personality."

"Probably..."

"Girls," Sayori chopped Yuri's face and said, "they're on the move!" Sayori and Natsuki hopped out of the fountain and gave chase. Yuri remained and rubbed her nose.

"Ow..." Yuri moaned.

Tridon and Monika arrived at her house and stopped in front of it, "I had a good day Monika."

"Same here. I absolutely loved it."

"Me too..." The two stared at each other for a minute and at that moment, they started to inch closer to one another. However, instead of kissing, they pointed over to a nearby bush.

They say in unison, "We know you're all there." They broke apart and stared at the bush. Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki all stepped out of the bush in shock.

"How'd you know we were there?!" Sayori yelled.

"We know you 3 have been following us all day!" Tridon answered, "Besides," Tridon wiped his eyes and said, "you ate my apple fritter..."

"Tridon!" Sayori yelled, "Your next cheat day is next week!"

"You weren't suppose to tell!" Tridon yelled back.

"Wait," Yuri interrupted, "when did you two know we were following you two?"

"When we heard Sayori yell when we were near the fountain." Monika answered, "We just decided to play it off like we didn't hear anything."

"Man..." Natsuki moaned, "I knew they heard us."

"Tridon," Sayori started, "are you mad?"

"No. More so disappointed."

The light from Sayori's eyes disappeared while fainting. Tridon caught her and sighed, "I guess disappointment is what causes her to faint." Tridon turned to Monika and laughed, "I guess this is where we part ways. I had a fun day though."

"I did too. Perhaps we can do it again sometime."

"I'd love that. Have a good evening Monika."

"You too Tridon." Tridon hauled Sayori over his shoulders and made his way with the other two. As soon as they were out of sight, Monika grabbed her hair and squatted while looking at the ground in distress, "I was about to lock lips with him! Why did they have to ruin this day for me?!" Monika quickly stood up and yelled at the sky, "I will get those lips on day!"


	12. Spec Ops: The Doki

"Alright everyone!" Monika called out, "We have our next submission by yours truly."

"I gotta hand it to ya' Monika," Natsuki started, "I didn't expect someone like you to submit something like this."

"Same here." Yuri agreed, "I thought it'd be something a little more light-hearted."

"I like it." Tridon and Sayori say in unison.

"Well, let us begin our adventure!"

Tridon snapped his fingers and the girls were now at the end of a bridge. They wore Tactical gear and had firearms in hand. Tridon looked at himself and smiled.

"How do I look?" They all gave him the thumbs up and he smiled even brighter. However, that smile was short lived when a bullet flew past his head, "Ah!" They all ducked behind the cars in front of them, "Forgot this was that type of story."

"What do we do?!" Natsuki yelled.

"If I remember correctly," Tridon peaked out and shot a few times before continuing, "we have to deliver a package to the roof there." Tridon pointed behind him at the top of a large building, "A helicopter will pick us up and we'll be home free."

"Who has the package?!" Sayori shouted.

"Natsuki." Tridon answered.

Everyone turned to Natsuki who had a satchel wrapped around her, "Oh what the hell?!" Natsuki yelled, "Why me?!"

"I don't know!" Tridon answered. He peaked out and shot some more, but took a shot to his shoulder, "Gah!"

"Tridon!" The girls yell.

"There's too many out there to make a break for the building." Tridon thought to himself and shook his head, "I'll draw their fire! You 4! Get to the building!"

"No!" Monika yelled, "I'm not letting you be the hero again."

"I'll be fine!"

"No!" Monika ran over and slid to Tridon, "We're doing this together! Right girls?!" She turned to the other 3 and they nodded, "We're going together Tridon."

Tridon just couldn't say no to Monika. He sighed and smiled at the girls, "Alright. I'll drop a smoke!" Tridon grabbed a smoke from his vest and threw it after unpinning it, "Wait for it to pop!"

As soon as it popped, the club sprinted to the building. Everyone managed to get in, but 2 stray bullets shot Tridon in his leg and Natsuki in her leg as well. Tridon fell to one knee while Natsuki fell to the ground completely.

"Natsuki..." Tridon groaned. He took the satchel and tossed it up to Sayori, "Go on. I'll carry her."

"What about your leg?" Sayori questioned, "You're not fit to carry her."

"I'll be fine." Tridon let Natsuki get on her back and gave her a handgun, "Don't go willy-nilly, okay?"

"Yeah..."

"Let's move." Tridon ordered.

While moving up the stairs, a man chimed in on their radios, "Alpha team, this is Overlord, what is your status, over?"

They all turned to each other and then to Tridon. He sighed and answered, "Overlord, this is Alpha actual. We've successfully moved inside the building. We have the package and will be moving to the extract zone, over."

"Are any of you wounded, over?"

"We have two. Myself and another, over."

"Solid copy Alpha. Get to that extraction point immediately. We see a large mass of bogeys heading to your position."

"We're on it Overlord. Alpha out." Tridon sighed and looked at the girls who looked at him in shock, "What? I just copy what I hear in Call of Duty."

"Well, we just gotta keep pushing." Monika responded, "We have quite the ways up."

"More stairs..." Yuri groaned, "I thought we weren't doing stairs anymore."

"Come on Yuri." Tridon intervened, "Maybe the helicopter is gonna have some tea on board. Hahaha..."

"That wasn't very nice to say..." Yuri pouted.

"I'm sorry." Tridon apologized while patting Yuri's head, "Forgive me?"

"If you keep doing this I will." Yuri cooed.

"Haha..." Natsuki frowned and pinched Tridon's cheek, "Ah. Natsuki."

"Quit flirting and go up the stairs you two."

"Fine. Geez." Tridon and Yuri caught up with the other two and eventually approached the rooftop.

The helicopter swirled around while hails of gunfire flew towards them from adjacent buildings, "Alpha Team," The pilot started, "you'll have to clear the area before I land. The area's too hot for me to make a safe landing."

"We have wounded!" Monika yelled, "We can't fight when we have two wounded!"

"You won't be able to get out if I go down. Clear the area!"

Monika groaned and stared at the other rooftops, "Monika!" Tridon yelled, "Take cover and take out those hostiles." Tridon set Natsuki down and handed him her rifle, "Stay here."

"Not like I can go anywhere idiot."

"Right." Tridon got up and limped to nearby cover.

"Wait!"

"I'll be fine Natsuki!" Tridon peaked out and fired at some of the enemies on the other roofs. Natsuki couldn't help but want to crawl to Tridon. Yuri noticed this and rush over to her, but was shot in shoulder in the process, "Yuri!"

"I got her!" Sayori shouted back, "Worry about Natsuki and yourself."

"Pilot," Monika started, "we could really use some assistance. We're pinned down and we can barely get a shot out. We'll be dead before you even get to land."

"Damn it," The pilot responded, "I'll see what I can do. Just hold out as long as you can."

Monika sighed in frustration while rushing over to help the others. She narrowly dodged bullets while rushing over to Sayori's side.

"I'm sorry guys. I didn't mean for this to get so out of hand."

"Are you crazy?" Sayori laughed, "This is awesome!"

Tridon crawled over to Natsuki, but took some shots to his back, sending him to the ground, "Gah!"

"Tridon!" The girls yell.

The pilot returned and held the helicopter in the air. He walked over to one side with and AT4 at one of the buildings. This killed all of the enemy combatants on that side. The pilot quickly got situated again. He moved the helicopter to the edge of the roof and shouted, "Come on! Get in!"

Sayori helped Yuri while Monika moved to help Natsuki and Tridon. Relived, they prepared to board the helicopter, "Injured first." Monika ordered.

They were about to set Natsuki first, but Tridon noticed on the left side of his vision that one of the enemy soldiers aimed an RPG in their direction, "RPG!" Tridon yells.

However, it was already too late. The rocket barreled towards them while Natsuki was already on the helicopter. Tridon pulled her back on to the roof just as the rocket collided with the helicopter. Tridon lost his footing from the blast and fell off the roof.

"No!" Monika yelled while staring at Tridon plunging to his death. The setting changed back to the school where they were staring out and open window and they were all staring out it with looks of shock on their faces.

"Did he really...?" Yuri started.

Sayori, with tears in her eyes, rushed outside to find him. Monika shook her head and quickly joined her.

"How the hell did it end like this?" Natsuki questioned, "None of us has been physically hurt after these adventures. Why did he end up out of the window?"

"I don't want to assume," Yuri started, "but maybe there's something to his weird power that he's not telling us. You know he likes to keep stuff from us that would normally cause us to worry."

"Yeah." Natsuki shook her head and slammed her fist on a desk, "What is up with him?! He constantly tries to be the hero and tells us not to worry. Why can't he see that all he's doing is raising our heart rate and cause us to worry more about him."

"We don't know Natsuki. I doubt Sayori knows either. What if there's something going on in his head. What if he's giving subliminal messages and we're just missing them."

Natsuki stared down at the desk and shook her head, "I don't know. We have to go check on him too."

"Right."

* * *

The girls arrived to where Tridon fell from the window and saw Tiffany checking on him. She stared at the girls and asked, "What happened to him?" Before any of them spoke, she looked between them and held up her hand, "Wait, you 4 have been using his powers, haven't you?"

"What?" Sayori wondered, "You know about his powers?"

"Of course I do." Tiffany answered, "After our workouts, we go on an adventure just to pass more time. However," Tiffany stood up and walked over to the girls, "his power to alter reality cannot be used frequently. If he uses it too much, it causes the worlds he creates to become unstable."

"Unstable?" Monika questioned, "How?"

"Well, I know you've been using his power to 'experience' your stories. What was today's topic?"

"Wait a second." Natsuki interrupted, "Are we just gonna leave him on the ground."

"He'll be fine." Tiffany answered, "It's better than being in any other world right now."

"Well," Monika started, "here's the story we had today." Monika handed Tiffany the packet of paper and she quickly skimmed through it, "What do you think?"

"Well, it's an interesting and intense story." Tiffany commented, "I definitely didn't expect that from you Monika."

"That's what everyone else said." Monika shyly responded.

"Well, this is something that would definitely cause his power to become unstable. This is a large world with a lot happening at one time. So he has to do a lot in order to create this world."

"But we didn't know..."

"Exactly." Tiffany scolded, "You should've known that something like this has its limits and price. From what I see here, two people were suppose to get hurt. I'm assuming more did, right?"

"Yeah." Sayori answered, "Everyone except myself and Monika."

"I see. Well, just a little tip girls, stray away from big stories for now. Just let him ease his powers back and he should be fine."

"What about him now?"

"Yeah he's gonna need someone to take care of him tonight. He won't need a hospital visit, but he'll definitely need someone to watch over him for the night."

"Sayori should do it." The other girls answered.

"Huh?"

"You are his 'best childhood friend' Sayori," Monika responded, "It would seem right for him to do this."

Sayori looked down at Tridon who was laying on the ground, "Alright," Sayori slowly walked over to Tridon and squat down next to him, "I'll take him home and make sure he gets some much needed rest."

"Good." Monika sighed and looked at everyone, "For the time being, our club will not be meeting until Tridon has fully recovered. Can we abide by this?" Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri nodded inciting a nod from Monika, "Alright. Sayori, please take care of him please?"

"I will. I'll make sure he gets the rest he deserves and needs."

* * *

Later that night, Tridon remained unconscious while Sayori placed a warm towel on his head. Sayori sat next to his bed and grabbed his hand, "This is my fault..." She said to herself, "I knew about your power getting unstable, but I worried more about the club having fun rather than your well-being. What kind of friend am I?" Sayori placed her face in her arms and started sobbing, "I'm your best friend and I couldn't even see it..."

Sayori eventually felt a hand on her head that proceeded to rub her head. She looked up to see Tridon awake and staring at the ceiling, "Tridon?"

"Don't blame yourself Sayori." He started, "I was the one that didn't keep track of how much I was using my power. I guess I worried too much about impressing all of you that it never crossed my mind."

"Tridon," Sayori sat up and stared into his eyes, "you..."

"Idiot?"

"No..." She softly responded, "You could've died!" Sayori tackled Tridon and hugged him fiercely.

"Gah..." Tridon winced.

Sayori quickly broke her hug and looked at him apologetically, "I'm sorry..." Tears formed in Sayori's eyes, but they were quickly wiped away by Tridon. Sayori sniffed while looked at him.

"You know how strong I am. Something like this won't stop or anything." Tridon held his arms out and ushered her to hug him, "Come here..." Sayori slowly hugged him and sobbed into his chest, "Stop that. You're 18 now. Plus, I don't want to see my best childhood friend crying." Tridon proceeded to caress her back to help ease her sobbing.

They remained like this for a whole hour before breaking apart. At this point, Sayori sat on top of Tridon. They noticed their position, but didn't care.

"Quite the position we're in huh?" Tridon teased.

"Yeah..."

"But I don't really care..." Tridon smiled and laughed, "Maybe we should actually get to sleep now, hm?"

"Yeah." Sayori laid down right next to Tridon and snuggled in his arm, "You're lucky it's me and not one of the other 3. I bet they would take advantage of this situation. I would guarantee you that if it was Monika, you wouldn't be a virgin tomorrow."

"Haha..." The two stared at one another and smiled warmly at one another, "This would be one of those moments where we inch close and kiss but..." Before Tridon could say anything, Sayori gave Tridon a light peck on his lips, "Uh..."

"Just gotta get mine before those others do, right?"

"I don't see the logic, but hey, if it makes you happy."

"Oh it did." Sayori winked and turned around, "Now go to sleep you big idiot."

"Alright. Good night Sayori."

"Good night Tridon." Tridon fell asleep, but Sayori remained awake. Her face was flushed to an inhuman shade of red and steam was practically coming out of her ears, "Mmmm!" She covered up her mouth to prevent her screams of joy from escaping out her mouth.


	13. Several Days Later...

Tridon walked through his neighborhood several days after the incident. Tridon didn't walk with anyone and just walked alone. He had left his phone and wallet at home and decided to take a stroll around the area. He just walked aimlessly without a known destination.

However, nobody knew he was doing this and it was a school day. So by the time classes ended, Sayori could only worry for Tridon. She decided to find the other 3 girls and find out if they had seen him.

Sayori noticed Monika leaving the school and stopped her before she left, "Monika!" She called out.

"Oh. Sayori." She stopped and turned while Sayori ran up to her winded, "Uh..."

"Wait a second..." Sayori took a deep breath and finally asked, "Have you seen Tridon today?"

"No." She responded, "I don't have any classes with him. I would think that you would've see him today."

"I haven't seen once today. He told me that he was walking to school alone. The thing is: I haven't seen him all day!"

"Sayori..."

"Oh no. What if the government got a hold of his powers?! What if they kidnapped. Or worse, someone took his nametage and used it in a bank robbery."

"Sayori. Wait, why would he have a nametag?" Monika held a blank expression while Sayori kept listing scenarios.

"If they think he did the robbery, he was arrested!" In Sayori's mind, this is what went down.

"Alright nobody move!" A masked man kicked open the doors to a bank. On his chest was Tridon's nametag, "This is a bank robbery! Attica!"

Sayori stiffened up and proceeded to faint, "He's innocent I tell ya'..." Sayori fell back, but was caught by Yuri, "Yuri!"

"Why is Sayori fainting?" Yuri asked.

"Tridon wasn't at school today." Monika answered.

"What?!" Yuri yelled, "Tridon's gone missing?!"

"No." Monika retorted, "He just didn't show up." However, while saying this, Yuri was off with Sayori and wearing a military hat.

"Alright, I'll go search uptown. Gold Team, that's you Sayori, you search downtown. Any questions?"

Sayori stared at her and cheered, "Gold Team rules!"

"Why are those two acting out Spongebob?" Natsuki asked while walking up to them.

"Tridon didn't show up to school today."

"Oh, I saw him earlier today." Natsuki answered.

"You did?!" Sayori and Yuri pushed Monika away asking her in unison, "Where'd you see him?!"

"He told me he was skipping school to clear his mind." She responded, "He didn't wanna tell Sayori the truth because he knew she would follow him."

"Yeah I can believe that." Yuri and Monika agreed.

"Oh shut up." Sayori retorted, "What else did he say?"

"He said he'll be back tomorrow. He's just walking to clear his mind."

"Why is that?" Monika wondered, "It's been a while since the club has met and I doubt he's used his powers since then. So why is he walking to clear his mind?"

Sayori tapped her head and nodded, "Girls, there's something I gotta tell you." Sayori sighed and shook her head, "I don't know if it still bugs him, but I think it's time I finally tell you about his relationship with Erica." The girls looked at each other and nodded.

The girls sat at their usual spot for club meetings while Sayori fidgeted a little, "I'm sorry girls, but I'm very nervous to tell this story." Sayori closed her eyes and felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Monika smiling warmly at her.

"Sayori, take your time. If it's hard for you to tell..."

"No," Sayori interrupted, "I have to." Sayori took a deep breath began, "Tridon and Erica started dating before high school started. So they dated before the school year began."

"Was it love at first sight or?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah. Those two had eyes for each other the minute they met." Sayori smiled and hugged her knees, "I saw it in his eyes that he was bent on being hers forever and it seemed that way. Until 2nd year that is."

"What happened?" Monika wondered, "It must've messed with him a bit for him to act that way when he sees or thinks about her."

"Their relationship started to take a nosedive. Not on Tridon's end, but with Erica. For some reason, she started to demand more from him." Sayori shook her head and sighed, "She told him to put her before anything else. She was trying to be manipulative and have him right under her finger."

"Why would she do that?!" Natsuki yelled, "I hate manipulative bi-."

"Natsuki," Monika interrupted, "the story is T-Rated."

"Damn it. I forgot..."

"A-Anyway, nobody knew why she was treating him like a dog. Until she came up to me..."

-2 years ago-

"Sayori," Erica walked up to Sayori while she was at her desk, "can I talk to you?"

"Sure thing." The two stood outside with Sayori asking, "What's wrong Erica?"

"Sayori, I know you've seen how I've been treating Tridon recently, right?"

"Well, it's not hard to miss."

"I'm doing it so that he can break up with me."

"What?!" Sayori yelled causing Erica to cover her mouth. She said while muffled, "Why do you want him to break up with you?"

"You know that I come from a rich family, right?"

"Yeah?"

_By the way, her family is hella rich. Like, corporate people rich. CEO rich!_

_**Sayori!** _

_Right, sorry._

"Well, they arranged a marriage with some other guy that I can't get out of. They want me to break up with Tridon, but I don't want him to be heartbroken from an abrupt break up. My heart just can't..."

"I understand." Sayori reassured Erica by hugging her, "Trust me, it would kill me to see him heartbroken, but your parents are jerks. Ahem... gotta remain PG-13." Sayori mumbled, "But why don't you just tell him your situation?"

"You know he won't listen when I tell him not to do anything. In fact, if I tell him not to do anything, he's gonna do something."

_**Yeah that sounds like him.** _

"Yeah." Sayori looked at the floor and nodded, "Tell him you're leaving the school."

"What?"

"Well, I'm assuming your parents are gonna make you move in with him and attend another school, so that means you won't be able to see him anymore."

"Yeah?"

"Geez you're pretty dumb..." Sayori mumbled, "You tell him you're moving away and the break up will be mutual. Neither party is gonna experience being hurt... long term. They're gonna be hurt for a little bit, but the long term hurt won't remain."

"Okay. I understand."

"But don't do it over dinner or something like that. You have to do it one on one."

"Right..."

-Present-

"And she told him that?" Natsuki questioned.

"Yup. However, I was wrong about the long term hurt. Erica seems to have gotten over it, but Tridon..."

"Obviously hasn't." Monika finished, "They must've had the most perfect relationship ever."

"Yeah. They were destined for one another."

"So wait," Yuri interrupted, "does Tridon still hopes to be with her? Judging by her reasoning to break up with him..."

"Then seeing her the other week has him believe that he can still be with her." Sayori finished, "He told me that exactly 2 days after the story incident. So I don't know who he loves now. The fact that Erica is probably within walking distance and the fact that..."

"Wait Sayori." Monika quickly interrupted, "Say that again."

"That again." She repeated.

"No what you said before..."

"No what you said before..."

"Sayori! He's going to find Erica's house!" 

Sayori stared blankly at Monika for a second before her eyes started widening, "Oh no!"

Tridon continued walking until he approached a lavish neighborhood. He looked around for a second before walking down the street.

Sayori, Monika, Natsuki, and Yuri ran non-stop until they reached the same neighborhood, "I know where she moved to. I kept in contact with her until the beginning of this school year." They stopped in the neighborhood and took a good look around, "She lives in a 2-Story house."

"2-Story house." They took one good look around to see multiple 2-Story houses, "Well this'll be easy..." Monika groaned, "Well, we have to find a house with Tridon in front of it."

"Found him." Natsuki stated, "Over there." She pointed over to one the house where Tridon stood in front of it, "You were right Monika. That was easy."

"Oh come on." Sayori pulled the girls over to a nearby tree and spied on him, "Let's just listen and see what goes down."

Tridon stood outside for a short second before ringing the doorbell. He tapped his foot and fidgeted his hands in his pockets. Once the door opened, he sighed and said, "Is Erica home?"

"Yes." A man just slightly older him answered, "Who are you?"

"I'm an old friend from her old school."

"Oh right. You're Tridon." The man nodded and turned round, "Erica, a friend is here for you!" He walked away while Erica walked towards the door.

She noticed Tridon and smiled, "Tridon. It's so great to see you." Erica looked around and appeared confused, "Those other 4 aren't with you?"

"No. I skipped school today to get here."

"Tridon, you can't skip. It's your last year in school."

"I know. I just wanted to give myself some closure."

"Closure?"

Tridon looked past Erica to see the man watching them, "So that's who your parents made you marry, huh?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Well, I hope he's treating you right." Tridon looked down and said, "For the last 2 years, I still held those feelings and the hurt of losing you. I thought I would be able to cope with it since it was mutual, but I couldn't."

"Tridon..."

"No. I just thought that someday that we could be together again, but I think the minute I joined that club, I eventually started to get over you. Then I saw you that day." Tridon shook his head and looked around the neighborhood, "It messed with me. The fact that you were still an arms length away made me think that maybe, just maybe I would finally be able to be with you again."

"I'm guessing you knew about our marriage?"

"Eventually. Even before I saw you again that day. I knew you were married to some other guy and that was the reason you had to move away." Tridon scratched the back of his head and smiled, "But don't worry. I'm ready to accept your new, happy life. That's all I wanted. For you to be happy."

"Tridon," Erica choked up, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I'm honest. Spending time with those 4 helped me get over our relationship. Trust me. I miss our relationship. I really do, but I know now that I needed to finally get over it." Tridon looked at the tree the girls were hiding behind from the corner of his eyes and smiled wider, "I just wanted some closure."

"Well, I hope we can still be friends though. I miss the times when we used to hang out."

"Of course we can." Tridon stuffed his hands in his pocket and whistled, "So uh..."

"Hey," Erica softly started, "I don't have any plans this weekend and my husband will be out of town. Why don't we hang out like we used to?"

"I'd like that." Tridon answered, "So this weekend?"

"Yup."

"Sweet. Well, I'll see ya' then." Tridon waved Erica off who watched him walk away. Tridon waited until Erica closed her door before turning to the tree. He snapped his fingers and a football landed in his hands. He threw the ball at the tree inciting a yelp from it, "Get away from the tree girls."

They stepped out looking at him with heads held low, "So what's the sitch between you and Erica?" Sayori asked, "We heard that you were finally over her."

"You bet. I just wanted to have that closure. I realized that I only wanted her to be happy. Even if I'm the one not giving her that happiness."

"That's uh..."

"Look, it took a long time to find this house." Tridon began, "I just wanna get home and be done today."

"Yeah." Sayori agreed, "Let's all go home. Together."


	14. Study Date: Yuri

The next day after school, Yuri stopped Tridon while he was walking home with Sayori, "Tridon!" She called out.

"Hey Yuri." Tridon responded, "What's up?"

"I heard that you helped Sayori with some work and I was hoping if you would do the same for me."

"Sure. I'm not doing anything today. Is today fine?"

"Yes!" She quickly answered.

"Cool. What subject is it specifically?"

"Math." A quick zip was heard causing them to look where Sayori was. A silhouette of Sayori was left in a cloud of smoke. They turned around to see Sayori sprinting away.

"That's the fastest I've seen her run." Tridon commented, "Impressive." He turned back to Yuri and sighed, "Well, let's get going."

"Alright..."

The two arrived at Tridon's house and instantly got to work, "So what are we working on today Yuri?"

"1st is Geometric Series."

"Okay. Let me look." Yuri handed Tridon her notebook and he was rather confused, "You know Yuri, geometric series is learned in our junior year. Why are you trying to learn it again?"

"Tridon, did you forget that mid-terms were coming up?"

"Mid-terms?" Tridon stared off to the side and nodded, "Oh right. They are coming up. Aren't they coming up before the school festival?"

"Yes. How could you forget?"

"Because I don't usually worry about it. I always pass with flying colors."

"I wish I could do that. Pass a huge test without needing to study."

"I study for sure. I usually take a week and a half before the exams to study. I cut myself off from technology and I hit the books for that week and a half."

"Wow. I don't think that would be hard for me, but when I study, my brain just refuses to process the information."

"Don't worry. I can give you some tips on how to properly study so that your brain can harness and process the information overload."

"That would be nice..."

"Alright, now geometric series. Well, that isn't too difficult to explain. So, A is your first term. R is the common ratio. N represents the number of terms. You will be finding out how many sums there can be."

"Okay. The first term..." Yuri looked at her formula and nodded, "The first term is 3. The common ratio is 2 and the number of terms is 3."

"Yeah. That means the n-th of the sequence is?"

"25."

"And the sum of n terms is what?"

"45."

"Good. Now what is the infinite sum?"

"Infinity?"

"That's right."

"Oh wow..." Yuri read over the problem they did and her eyes turned into squiggles as she collapsed back onto the couch, "Ouch. This is difficult."

"Don't worry. Math definitely isn't for everyone. It's my worse subject believe it or not. Now, let's continue. There's still much to go over."

* * *

After an hour of more studying, Yuri had her face down onto Tridon's coffee table with piles of paper around her. Tridon looked down at her and pat her head.

"Math is hard!" Yuri muffled from the table.

"Like I said. Math isn't for everyone." Yuri sat up and Tridon noticed that her hair was in tatters, "Yuri," Tridon took out a mirror and showed her, "your hair doesn't look all too great.

"Ah!" Yuri snatched the mirror touched her hair, "Tridon. I'm so sorry for looking like this."

"It's alright. Math is stressful."

"May I use your restroom?"

"Sure." Yuri quickly stood up and made her way upstairs, "You remember what door my bathroom is?"

"Yes." She answered. Yuri quickly walked into his bathroom and sighed, "My hair is an absolute mess." Yuri twirled her hair around and blushed, "It's so embarrassing to look like that in front of him."

Tridon sat on his couch remembring back to a conversation he had with Natsuki the week before.

_"Tridon, Yuri got a low score on a mock exam." She explained, "She got a pretty bad score in math which got her the low score. Maybe try and help her through_ _and_ _please_ _don't_ _bring it up._ _You know_ _how she is."_

"If I don't figure out her grade, I can't figure out where she is before mid-terms."

* * *

In the bathroom, Yuri fixed her hair until she heard a loud pop come from underneath her school uniform. She blushed a bright red while grabbing her chest.

"There's no way my bra could've broken!" She quietly yelled to herself, "The last I checked I was a DD. Could I have gone up!" Yuri looked around for a way out of her situation, "I can't go back out there with them hanging out. He'll think I'm just some... oh lord I don't even wanna think about how he could perceive me!"

Tridon closed his eyes and thought for a second, "For her score to be low and her math score being a main contributor to a low grade, that must mean it must've been in the D's. Maybe even the low C's. I doubt she could get an F."

Yuri looked around and noticed Tridon's hamper, "Maybe," Yuri rummaged through the bag and thought, "he has something that might be able to replace my problem." Yuri eventually took out one of Tridon's compression shirts, "It's his compression shirt. It might be tight, but at least they won't be bouncing all over the place."

Yuri put his shirt on and looked at herself in the mirror, "Hm," Yuri smiled and nodded, "It's not too bad. In fact," Yuri hugged herself and wriggled around, "it feels like he's hugging me." Yuri lifted his shirt and placed in her face until she heard a big rip, "Uh..." She turned around and faced her back to the mirror and saw that the back of his shirt was ripped, "Oh no!"

Tridon looked upstairs and quickly ran. However, he tripped on one of the steps and fell. He rolled down the stairs and was knocked out.

Yuri heard this and ran out of the bathroom. At the top of the stairs, she saw Tridon at the bottom knocked out, "Oh no!" Yuri carefully walked downstairs and checked on him, "Tridon!" She shook him to wake him up, but the shaking caused his shirt to tear more, "Oh no..." Tridon's eyes fluttered open sending a wave of happiness to Yuri, "You're awake!"

"Yeah..." Yuri leaned forward causing the shirt to rip completely revealing Yuri's bare chest, "Huh?" Before Tridon could say anything, Yuri tackled him down.

"Don't look!"

"It's hard to look when you're pressing them in my face!"

"Ah!"

* * *

Moments later, Tridon stood outside his guest room and shook his head, "If you needed something to help with that then you could've just asked."

"I'm sorry Tridon." Yuri responded from inside, "I just didn't want you to think of me negatively."

"How could I think negatively of you for something so trivial?"

"I don't know. I was just embarrassed to ask someone I li-." Yuri interrupted herself and slapped her face.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh fine." Tridon checked his phone and sighed, "It's getting pretty late Yuri and you live pretty far."

"I can stay the night if you'd like." Yuri quickly commented.

"I could just drive you home Yuri, but if you're fine with sleeping here again, then I guess it's fine with me." Tridon walked away and called out, "You can settle down in that guest room Yuri."

Yuri burst the guest room and confronted him, "I wanna do it sleepover style!"

"Yuri, we're 18. Saying it like that makes it sound like we're freshmen or even back in middle school." Even as Tridon said this, Yuri held puppy dog eyes along with a pout, "But I really can't say no to that face." Tridon pinched her cheeks and sighed, "Well, you can take my..." She pouted even more and raised an eyebrow, "Yuri, you do know what you're asking for, right?" She nodded with now a determined pout, "Alright."

* * *

Later that night, Tridon slept by the edge while Yuri took the spot closer to the wall. Tridon had his back turned to Yuri who stared at his back. Tridon felt Yuri was awake and turned around to meet her eye to eye.

"Yuri..."

"Yes?"

"Did Sayori happen to say what happened the night of the incident?"

"She said that you two slept in the same bed similar to how we are now. That's about it." Yuri took one look at Tridon and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"Well, Sayori and I are used to sleeping together. We've done it before. But with someone I've only known for a month is kinda..."

"Weird?"

"I wouldn't say weird. Weird is something more derogatory. I would say awkward. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine, but for it to be this early in our relationship. We've barely known each other."

"I guess the same could be said about the other 2." Yuri added, "Monika and Natsuki that is."

Tridon sighed and shifted his body to stare at the ceiling, "Now that's odd. One guy in a club full of only girls and yet..."

"You haven't made a move with any of us despite already somewhat confessing."

"Yeah." Tridon looked over to Yuri and shook his head, "I don't know what to do. At first I had sights on Monika alone, but the more I've spent time with all of you, the more I fell for the rest of you."

"Tridon," Yuri started warmly, "you don't have to choose now." Yuri looked over at Tridon and leaned on her hand, "You're right. You haven't properly gotten to know us."

"There will be a time where I'l have to choose though." Tridon closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm afraid for when that day comes." Tridon felt Yuri moved his face to meet hers, "Yuri?" He opened his eyes to see Yuri smiling warmly at her.

"That time will come and you'll know when it comes. Just rest your head. You'll know who you want when that time comes."

"But..." Yuri pressed her fingers to stop Tridon from talking.

"No. Sleep Tridon. Sleep."

The two stared into each others eyes and inched closer. The two shut their eyes as their lips inch closer. However, instead of their lips smashing together, their foreheads collided with one another.

"That didn't go how I'd hoped." Yuri groaned while rubbing her forehead. She eventually felt lips on her forehead and she looked up to see Tridon kissing her forehead, "T-Tridon..."

Tridon moved from her head and smiled at her, "Did that help?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Alright, now one more question. C or D?"

"H-Huh?!"

"I was thinking maybe a C, but D makes more sense. I doubt that it was an F. That just seems too obscure."

"T-Tridon!"

"What?!"

"You can't talk about a girl's breasts like that!" Yuri hopped up and covered her breasts while yelling, "You're a horndog!"

"What? No!" Tridon retorted, "I meant the grade you got on your practice test!"

"O-Oh. That's what you meant..."

"Oh my god..." Tridon rubbed his head and said, "You know what? Let's talk about when we walk to school tomorrow."

"Right..."

Once Tridon fell asleep, Yuri laid next to him grabbing her head, _"Why did I think he was talking about my boobs! Why would I think he would be a horndog?! Who says horndog?!"_


	15. Study Date: Natsuki

That next day at school, Tridon passed by the library with Sayori and noticed Natsuki on her own struggling, "Sayori, why is Natsuki in there?"

"Oh. She has history test this coming Friday and she's not ready for it."

"I could help her." Tridon commented, "History is one of my better subjects."

"Don't you have history with her?"

"I do actually." Tridon nodded and said to Sayori, "I guess I have another study session. I'm super sorry Sayori."

"It's fine. We're still up for this weekend?"

"U-Uh..."

"Uh?! What 'uh'?!" Sayori hopped on Tridon's chest and grabbed his collar, "What are you hiding from me and who are they?!"

"Chill Sayori. It's just that Erica and I are just gonna hangout this weekend like old times. Okay?" Sayori pouted at Tridon who scrapped her off himself, "Look, we can still hangout Sunday. Mid-terms are coming up and I know for sure you're not ready for it."

"I..." Sayori stopped herself and nodded, "Yeah you're right."

"Cool. Now please don't think differently of me just because I'm doing something with another girl." Tridon nudged her arm and added, "You're always my number 1. You know that."

"Haha." Sayori laughed, "And you're always my number 1."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Tridon waved Sayori off as he stepped into the library. Natsuki didn't even notice him standing next to her until he asked, "Worried about our test Friday?"

"Ah!" Natsuki yelled.

"Shh!" The librarian shushed.

"Ah geez. It's only you Tridon." She placed her hands on her head and sighed, "I have not been more stressed about a test ever. How are you not stressed?"

"Because I'm confident I'll do well."

"Well that's obvious." Natsuki retorted, "You're number 2 in the whole Senior class. Of course you're confident."

"Oh. Please compliment me more."

"I'd rather thrust my hand into your sternum." Natsuki growled.

"I get it, but if you need help, why not ask Monika or even myself?"

"Firstly, Monika isn't in our history class. Secondly, you two won't always be there to help me." Natsuki leaned back in the chair and groaned, "I wish I was as smart as you and Monika."

"I don't think it has anything to do with intelligence. I'm sure it's probably due to study habits." Tridon looked at the book she was looking at and nodded, "You know what? We're studying about early world history. The last 2 weeks, we've been looking over the time in Southeastern Asia. Specifically the time of the Three Kingdoms."

"Yes..."

"So..." Tridon snapped his fingers and the 2 of them were teleported to Ancient China, "Let's learn it in person."

"W-What? Tridon!" Natsuki yelled.

"What's up."

"You're not suppose to use your powers!"

"Oh please. It's been over a week since that whole incident. I think I'm fine."

"Well," Natsuki got closer to Tridon and said, "I'm staying close to you so you don't have to play the hero."

"Oh don't worry about that. The people around us can't see or here us. In fact," Tridon walked over to a nearby person and swung at him. However, his hand flew straight through, "we can't even touch them."

"Oh. Wait a minute can we...?" As Natsuki started her sentence, she felt herself floating in mid-air, "Holy hell!"

"Cool huh?"

"W-We're flying!"

"Yeah we're flying. Anything's possible in these weird fanfictions." Tridon floated around Natsuki and laughed, "It takes some getting used to. Just take my hand and we'll look at one of the first major battles that led up to the 3 kingdoms." Tridon held out his hands and said, "Let's go explore."

"Yeah!"

They flew around for a minute before hovering over a large river of some sort, "Now this is one of the major turning points of the 3 Kingdoms. The Battle of Red Cliffs."

"Otherwise known as The Battle of Chi Bi?"

"That's right. This pitted Sun Quan versus Cao Cao. Sun Quan gained assistance from an ally, Liu Bei. Both men believed Sun Quan was a threat to the land. As Liu Bei's strategist, Zhuge Liang, arrived, Cao Cao had sent a warning to Sun Quan threatening that he has 800,000 troops at his disposal and demanded his surrender."

"Got it..." Natsuki actively wrote down notes in a handheld notebook, "Go on."

"Okay." He cleared his throat and continued, "He was nearly convinced to surrender, but Zhuge, along with a few of Sun's close advisers. He chopped Cao Cao's letter and part of his desk and threatened that anyone who disagrees with his decision will meet the same fate as his table."

"Wasn't Sun very inexperienced?"

"That's correct. He was thrusted as head of the Sun Family due to the untimely death of his older brother. So he was young and very inexperienced. However, due to the support of his people, he was able to rule as the Sun Family head for many generations."

"Interesting. What else happened during the battle?"

"Well, Cao merely bluffed about his numbers. Sun's adviser, Zhou Yu, estimated that he had only 200,000 instead of 800,000. Not to mention that some of those troops were from the recently deceased warlord, Liu Biao, so morale was uncertain among Cao's army."

"He was trying to use fear to cause Sun to surrender."

"Exactly. They were still outnumbered. Liu Bei had 20,000 troops at his disposal. That combined with Sun's army equaled out to an estimate of 50,000."

"So how exactly were they able to win against such numbers? It was obvious Cao had the naval advantage, but how did the Sun-Liu Allied Force take down Cao's massive fleet?"

"Well, most remember the Wind and Fire being a main contributor during this bout, but it was also mental instability among Cao's Army. You see, they marched almost nonstop on their Southern Campaign that Cao's forces were plagued with disease and fatigue."

"So that was also a contributor to their loss at Red Cliffs?"

"That's right. This loss ruined Cao Cao's campaign south, so he switched his attention to the west. However, this messed with Cao Cao mentally as he had garnered such a bad reputation from his brutality that some people were fearful of him."

"I see." Tridon snapped his fingers again and below them was the burning fleet of Cao Cao's army, "Wow..."

"The fires lit up the night sky and Cao Cao's losses were immeasurable. No estimate was ever calculated, but it was obvious that his losses were on a grander scale." Tridon turned to Natsuki and asked, "Has this helped at all?"

"Definitely. Thanks dude." Tridon snapped his fingers again and they were back in the library, but it was now night time, "You know quite a bit."

"It just takes good study habits." Tridon looked around and sighed, "So I think it's time for us to leave."

"Yeah probably." They both walked over to the library door and Tridon tried to push it open, but it didn't budge, "Uh..."

"Open it Tridon."

"I'm trying, but it's not budging."

"Geez, to think all that muscle was real." Natsuki tried to push it, but nothing happened, "What?"

"Yeah. My muscles really are just for show."

"Shut up dude." Natsuki growled, "We can't be stuck in the school at night. Come on..."

"Well, it can't be all to bad. We can continue studying."

"I got enough to study for before the test Friday Tridon. If we're stuck here, where are we gonna sleep?"

"Well," Tridon looked around and looked outside, "I don't really know what to do. I'm not taking a leap out the window again." He turned back around and sat down on the floor, "The most we can do is chill out while I call someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Maybe Sayori." Tridon took out his phone and proceeded to call Sayori, "Hey Sayori. Mind doing me a favor?" He waited for a moment and said, "Well, I went on an adventure to help Natsuki server and we're kinda stuck in the library." Tridon moved the phone away from his ear and sighed, "I'm sorry. I know I'm suppose to be taking a break from using my power, but it was for a good cause." He waited more and smiled, "Thank you Sayori. I owe you." Tridon hung up and gave Natsuki a thumbs up.

"How long until she gets here?"

"She's getting the other 2 before coming here. I would say maybe an hour."

Natsuki stiffened up and smirked, "So what you're saying is that we'll be alone for an hour?"

"Pretty much." Tridon looked at Natsuki make her way to him, "It's been a crazy beginning to the semester."

"You said it." Natsuki took a seat next to Tridon and hugged her legs.

"Shorts?" He commented.

"Well yeah. I don't want you peaking up my skirt and seeing under..."

"Why do you girls think that I'm a pervert." Tridon stretched his legs and laid down next to Natsuki, "The last thing I am is a pervert."

"That's unusual for a boy in your position."

"Yeah. Most boys would think of very perverted situations they could get themselves in with you 4. It would be even worse if they had my little power."

"Your power isn't little though. You have the power to change reality and create mass worlds out of nothing."

"To be honest with you, I hated my power for most of my young life. I tried to make friends with it, but other kids thought I was weird. Well, all kids except Sayori." Tridon sighed and turned to Natsuki, "That girl basically stuck with me when I had no one else to turn to when kids avoided me."

"The more you or Sayori talk about your life before you met us it's just more and more..."

"Depressing?"

"Yeah." Natsuki looked down at Tridon and sighed, "Don't think I'm doing this because I feel bad or anything like that." Natsuki grabbed Tridon's head and let it rest on her lap, "Does that feel good?"

"Surprisingly, it does." Tridon looked up at Natsuki who looked at him back, "I'm pretty sure it's the shorts making it rather comfortable. I don't mean for this too sound negative, but your thighs aren't that very thick." Natsuki pinched Tridon's cheek while he said, "I said it was meant to sound negative."

"Would you prefer to have someone else's thighs. Like Yuri's or Monika's?"

"Natuski, I'm content with whoever. I already made that well-known under that tree." Tridon sighed and stared at Natsuki, "I find myself doing this a lot recently."

"The only one who's been left out is Monika."

"Mmm. Yeah." Tridon agreed, "But she'll get her chapter again."

"Really now? It's been 4 chapters since hers. Are you sure she's going to like that?"

"I don't know. Maybe?"

"Well, she'll have to be last to get this." Natsuki bent down and kissed Tridon on his forehead, "Don't take this the wrong way though."

"Oh god. Not your tsundere personality." Natsuki proceeded to dig her knuckles into Tridon's temples and he yelled out in pain, "Ah! No!"

The doors to the library opened to show Sayori, Monika, and Yuri walking in on Natsuki drilling into Tridon's head with her knuckles. They paused and looked at the 3 girls who frowned at Tridon particularly.

"H-Hey..." Tridon waved over to them and chuckled, "I thought it would take an hour..."

"Why are you on her lap!" Sayori yelled as she grabbed Tridon and pulled him into an arm bar, "You pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert!" He yelled while tapping on Sayori's leg, "I tap!"

Monika and Yuri walked over to Natsuki who laughed at Sayori and Tridon. Monika asked, "You're the one that put him on your lap, weren't you?"

"What? Do you 3 really think you're the only ones that can get some alone time with him." Natsuki laughed and stood up, "Monika, you're the last one who has yet to kiss him."

"I-I..."

"And you still have more waiting to do."

Monika pouted and crossed her arms, "Well, I guess that means I'm the one that'll actually get to kiss him on the lips." Monika looked up and winked, "Thank you writer."


	16. Like Old Times

Tridon pulled up to Erica's place and waited outside. He leaned back and looked at his phone. There were several missed calls from all of his clubmates. He sighed and tossed his phone into the console.

"I told those girls that I would be busy today." He closed his eyes and took a power nap.

The girls rose from the trunk of Tridon's SUV and frowned. Sayori tried to leap forward, but was held back by the other 3.

"No. Sayori." Monika whispered loudly, "Don't armbar him yet."

"I don't even know why we're doing this." Natsuki commented, "He's just having a day out with another person."

"Another person he used to go out with." Yuri added, "We can't risk anything."

"She's married though." Natsuki retorted, "They won't try anything because she's married. Can't we trust him for once?"

"Natsuki," Monika started, "we can barely trust him when he's alone with one of us. We can't risk it."

"So what are we gonna do?" Sayori asked, "If they try something, it'll just spur trouble."

"We just watch for now." Monika explained, "He's really good at knowing when we're spying on him, so we have to be a little more cautious with our actions. That means no armbars Sayori."

"Hmph." Sayori crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out, "He'll get one eventually..."

They noticed Erica walking out of the house and ducked down, shaking the car. Tridon woke up and looked towards Erica. He sat up and fixed his seat. He unlocked the door and Erica slowly sat inside.

"Hey there Tridon." She greeted.

"What's up." He responded, "So what do you wanna do?"

"I was hoping you had the plans."

"Uh well..." Tridon scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Kinda been helping the girls with studying, so I haven't been able to really plan anything."

"Have you been using your power?"

"Only once to help Natsuki. Other than that, not really."

"Okay. Just remember not to use it a lot."

"Uh. Yeah." Erica eyed Tridon and puffed her cheeks out, "What?"

"You did use it too much."

"You can tell?"

"How can a girl not tell when her ex-boyfriend has done something they weren't suppose to do?" Erica laughed and pinched his cheeks, "Do I have to mother you about your powers?"

"I'm fine. The next thing I need is for 6 girls being over-protective of me."

"So those 6 girls are me, your sister, and the 4 girls in the Literature Club, right?"

"Yup. Ever since that one incident, they're kinda hesitant about letting me use my powers to go on adventures."

"What happened?"

"Nothing happened. Just a fun adventure."

"Tr-i-don." She alliterated. She frowned at Tridon who slowly backed up in his seat, "What happened?"

"Just thought I'd take a fall for the team. Literally." She raised an eyebrow at Tridon and pinched his arm, "A-Ah!" The girls slowly rose from the trunk and pouted, "I wasn't severely hurt!"

"Yeah right!" Erica proceeded to poke Tridon in his side and laughing, "Don't lie to me!"

"Stop and I won't!" They eventually stopped horse-playing and Tridon firmly grabbed the wheel, "So uh, just wanna head to the park for a minute? Take a walk."

"The park or the park-park?" Erica asked.

"Hm." Tridon thought to himself, "Park-Park." Tridon confirmed.

"Sweet! I haven't been there since you know..."

"Yeah..." Tridon shifted the car into drive and sighed, "Let's get going." He jerked the car forward, causing the girls to roll around in the back, "Oops. My bad." He sarcastically said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah?" Erica chuckled.

Meanwhile in the trunk, the girls were all over each other with swirls as eyes, "I think he knows we're here..." Monika mumbled.

"Yeah..." They all agreed.

* * *

A few moments later, Tridon and Erica arrived at a rather large kids park. The two got out while the girls peaked their heads out of the trunk.

"Oh," Sayori started, "I remember this park." Sayori leaned back and smiled, "We have fun here despite being highshoolers at a kid's playground."

"We gotta go though." Monika interrupted, "They're on the move."

At the jungle gym, Tridon and Erica looked at it, "Do you think I can fit through?" Tridon asked.

"Maybe. You're toned, but you're slim."

"It's not that. I'm talking about it height wise." Tridon stretched his legs and hopped up and down, "But there's only one way to find out." Tridon walked over to the jungle gym and started to squeeze through.

"Be careful." 

"I'll be fine." Tridon attempted to squeeze through while the girls poked their out from a nearby slide.

"How much have you all gone to this playground?" Natsuki asked, "I used to come here a lot as a kid, but I stopped coming here after middle-school."

"We never really stopped." Sayori answered, "I think since we were 4 or 5. Erica of course started coming they started dating, but Tridon and I have been coming for as long as we've known each other."

"I never knew about this playground." Monika commented, "I only went to the park that we've all been to downtown."

"That place is popular for people like us." Sayori added, "But this is something that holds so much meaning to Tridon and myself."

* * *

Back to Tridon and Erica, she stared at Tridon smiling, "So Tridon," Erica started, "what'cha doing there?"

Tridon looked at Erica while hanging upside down and laughed, "Oh you know. Just hanging around."

"Boo..." Erica flirtatiously responded, "Can I join?"

"If you can fit."

"Alright." Erica squeezed in rather easily and met face to face with Tridon, "Hi."

"Hi." Tridon swung around lightly and smiled at Erica, "This is definitely not a place for two young adults."

"Yeah." Tridon lost his grip on the bar and fell to the ground, "Blegh..."

"Oh gosh." Erica helped Tridon up and started to dust him off, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. With all the submissions and suplexes Sayori puts me through, I'm kinda used to this." Tridon sat up and looked around, "It's like we're in jail. Reminds me of a game Sayori and I used to play as kids."

"We played it too." Erica commented, "It was called Princess. Me or Sayori would be trapped in the jungle gym and you would try and safe us while whoever wasn't tried to hold you back by throwing things at you."

"That was fun." Tridon laughed, "We can't really do it now since the others aren't here."

"Yeah and technically, you're trapped with me."

"Yeah..." Tridon and Erica eyed each other for a second. A very long second.

The girls watched from a far and Sayori wanted to jump out again, but was pulled down by the other 3.

"Let's not try anything." Tridon commented, "You're married and I guess I have those 4 girls. The last thing I need is a 5th one in that bunch."

"Yeah I guess." The both of them slipped out of the jungle gym just as Erica's husband confronted them, "Sweetie!" She shouted.

"What's going on here?" He rhetorically asked, "Because it looks to me that my wife is cheating on me with this boy."

"Now hold on a second," Tridon retorted. The girls poked their heads out as Tridon confronted the man, "we were just hanging out like we used to. Is that so wrong?"

"Need I remind you that she is my wife. Not some toy for you to play with."

"Why would you say that? She's my friend. Why would I see her as some toy. It's obvious someone here does see her that way."

"Quiet you." Erica's husband grabbed her wrist and started to drag her away, "We're going home."

"B-But...!"

* * *

Before they could leave, Tridon grabbed Erica's other wrist out of instinct. So out of instinct that he was shocked himself.

"What do you think you're doing?" Her husband growled, "Let my wife go now."

Tridon slowly shook his head and glared at the man, "I'm not letting her go with you. We might not be a couple now, but I still care about her. How you treat her now is like you have a dog collar around her neck and you're just yanking her chain whenever she's out of line for you."

"You really think you have it all figured out?" The man pulled Erica out of Tridon's grip and put her behind him. He confronted Tridon and said, "You might not know this, but I'm the most powerful man in this county. I control everything here. That includes her. You're nothing but a nobody at her old school trying to look cool in front of someone they lost. If it were up to me, I could end your school career in a blink of an eye. But I won't."

Tridon watched as the man backed up and grabbed Erica's hand, "Her and I are betrothed and it looks like you're still hanging on to whatever past you have left of her. But I'm sorry to tell you that she's mine now. Right Erica."'

"I'm sorry Tridon, but he's right. We can still hangout I hope, right?"

Tridon looked between them and shook his head, "Um, I'm just gonna go. I have some birds to take care of." He turned around and walked towards the slide the girls were hiding behind. Once he passed them he said, "Let's go girls."

"U-Uh..." Monika, Natsuki, and Yuri stood speechless, but Sayori ran over to Tridon and quickly followed him back to his car.

Erica's husband stared at Tridon while the other 3 joined them. He smirked and looked at Erica to say, "Let's get going." Her husband walked off while Erica remained for short time watching Tridon until he yelled, "Let's go!"

Tridon drove his friends back to his house and the drive home was rather deafening. Nobody said a word. The radio was off and the overall ambiance was dreadful. Tridon stopped in front of his house and turned off the car.

Sayori looked around and said, "How about a sleepover? We haven't had one in a while."

"Yeah." Monika agreed, "That would be nice."

"I'm down." Natsuki added.

"What about you Tridon?" Yuri asked, "Are you willing to participate?"

"You girls can have one at Sayori's house." He answered while getting out of the car, "I think I need some time alone for the rest of today."

"But..."

"I'm sorry girls." Tridon said from outside, "Just let me rest my mind." He started walking back inside his house and said, "Lock my doors before you leave." Tridon slowly walked back inside.

"Should we do something?" Yuri asked.

"No." Sayori solemnly answered, "Let him ease his mind out. I could tell he was furious." Sayori sighed and stepped out the car, "He was ready to kill that guy, but he stopped himself. That's why he wanted us to leave quickly."

"That guy..." Monika murmured, "That guy is controlling Erica. It's obvious she doesn't want to be with him, but she's forced to."

"We can't do anything about it though." Natsuki commented, "As much as I would love for us to just suplex and armbar him, we just can't."

"I feel bad for our friend." Yuri added, "Just when he thought he could have fun with Erica again; that man has to ruin their fun by controlling who she hangs out with. It's sickening."

"Definitely." Monika and Natsuki agree.

"But we can't do anything about him." Sayori retorted, "All we _can_ do is support our friend." She looked at his house and sighed, "Let's leave him alone and start this sleepover."

"Yeah." They agree in unison.

* * *

_-Epilogue-_

Later that night, Tridon paced around in his room. He grabs the revolver from his dresser and aimed it at the wall for a second before looking at it. He spun the cylinder multiple times and opened it. One bullet remained in the chamber and he pointed it again at the wall. He pulled the trigger and...


	17. A Problem

The girls sat around the tree that Monday and looked at a certain spot near them. Tridon wasn't there. Sayori hugged her knees. Monika wrote through her notebook while Yuri read her book. Natsuki bounced her knee before standing up.

"Can we stop acting like this?!" She shouted, "Yeah he's not here and yeah he might've gotten threatened by some rich prick and he might not be here at school..."

"Get to the point Natsuki." They interrupt in unison.

"Right." Natsuki nodded and continued, "We shouldn't let that affect our meeting. We have a workshop submission, right?"

"No..." Monika answered, "Nobody has handed one in since we've been on a break from the club."

"And I think it's gonna be just a little harder." Yuri added.

"Wait a minute." Sayori jumped up and joined Natsuki in front of them, "Natsuki's right. We can't let this stop us from enjoying the club. Tridon will get out of this hole eventually. It's happened before and you see how he was before all this happened. If I know my best, childhood friend, then I know that he'll come back soon with all the energy in the world."

"You know what?" Monika started, "You're both right."

"We are?" Natsuki and Sayori ask in unison.

"They are?" Yuri also asked.

"Yes. We've managed before without him. We can continue our day normally without a problem."

"I guess." Yuri stood up and nodded, "What do we do without a workshop submission though?"

Before Monika could say something, their world changed to look heavy in orange and teal along with a brighter sun. They looked at themselves and noticed that they were in normal, casual clothing along with a muscle car next to them.

"What is this?" Monika questioned, "How did he drag us into a world?"

* * *

In Erica's neighborhood, Tridon stood outside her house wearing dark, skinny jeans, a white shirt, and a khaki bomber jacket. On his hip was his revolver holstered. His hair was combed over with his sides shaved. He wore amber sunglasses that had her house reflecting from them. He had his hands in his pockets while staring at the house.

Inside the house, Erica ran to the window once she realized the world changed, "Oh no. Oh no..." She repeated. She looked out the window to see Tridon standing there with his hands in his pocket. He glanced at her before walking further down the street. She noticed his holstered gun and backed up, "No..."

* * *

Meanwhile at the school, the girls still stood confused as to what was going on. Sayori tried to call Tridon, but he wouldn't answer. She groaned and leaned on the car.

"Did he force the whole world into this new world?" Yuri asked while looking at her phone, "Because we're not the only ones." She held her phone up to show that news stations across the world were trying to figure out why their looks and overall feel has changed, "He did this on a global scale."

"Girls!" They turned around to see Tiffany and Lucy running to them.

"What happened to my brother?" Lucy questioned, "He isn't answering his phone and this isn't normal."

"It's probably what happened this past weekend." Monika answered.

"What?" Tiffany asked, "We have to stop this because this is going to cause some certain people to appear. Some people that he was afraid of."

"The government?" Natsuki asked inciting a nod from Tiffany, "Well we don't know where he could be. He could be anywhere in this world."

"Well," Lucy started, "whatever stirred him up caused his power to get unstable and create this world. For it to be on a global level could mean he either did it on purpose or his mind isn't in a stable state."

"Let's say both." Sayori commented. She sighed and explained, "Saturday, Tridon hung out with Erica after the two reconciled earlier last week. They were having fun at the playground we used to go to all the time. Then her husband showed up."

"That prick said that owns this whole place." Natsuki interrupted, "He said that Erica was his product and that he could do as he pleases since he owns the county and could end his life whenever. Rich prick..."

"Her husband..." Lucy thought for a second, "Her husband is the man that basically controls the mayor and his council. Robert Arias. A crude business who does get what he wants."

"He's divorced multiple times already." Tiffany added, "I don't know if Tridon knows this and might be trying to do something."

"Wait." Monika intervened, "How do you two know so much?"

"I am his sister." Lucy turned to Tiffany and sighed, "And she is an FBI agent."

"Huh?!" They all yelled.

"Quite the normal, vanilla story we have here writer." Monika commented.

_Hey. I'm trying to keep interesting. Plus, this'll lead to something cool._

"Whatever." Lucy scoffed, "This is kinda why I didn't want him to leave. To keep him away from stuff like this."

"I don't understand." Sayori started, "If you two know so much about him, how come he hasn't come to me about this?"

"He wanted to keep you out of the loop." Lucy answered, "He cares about you too much to drag you into something like this."

"But I'm his best, childhood friend..."

"Sayori..."

Sayori buried her face into her arms while leaning on the car, "That idiot..." She murmured.

* * *

Meanwhile in Erica's neighborhood, Tridon walked around aimlessly while his left his hand remained on his revolver. He stopped when a car behind him pulled up. Two men dressed in black suits stepped out and held their hands in their coats.

"Excuse me young man." One of them started, "You look a little young to be holding a gun like that."

"I'm sorry sir." Tridon responded, "But I carry this around for safety."

"In a neighborhood like this?" The other man questioned, "This is a wonderful neighborhood. Why would you need to carry a firearm?"

"I gave you my reason. You never know what dangers could lurk around every corner." He turned his head and snapped his fingers. Their car started to smoke profusely. The two men dove away just as it exploded. He turned around completely and saw them take out unique-looking guns.

He scoffed and walked towards them. They fired at Tridon, but he moved from side to side with inhuman speed. It looked as if he was teleporting. Tridon snapped again and the two men were gone. He smirked before turning around once again and continuing his walk.

Sayori kicked the car and shook her head, "We have to find him!" She shouted, "I have a feeling as to where he could be." She hopped into the driver seat of the car and pointed at Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki, "You 3 are with me. You two, meet us by his tree spot. You'll know where it is."

The girls quickly hopped in car. One they were situated, Sayori floored it out of the schoolyard. She gripped the steering wheel fiercely and gritted her teeth, "Don't worry Tridon..." She mumbled, "We're on the way..."

Lucy looked over at Tiffany who sighed, "We probably should've done something when she was set up to marry him."

"Probably." Lucy crossed her arms and shook her head, "This just makes no sense. They were having a good time and something like this happens."

"I wonder if my brother knows that he can reverse time with his power."

"Maybe not, but knowing that boy he probably does."

"Aren't that kinda contradicting yourself by saying that?"

"Yup."

* * *

Back at the neighborhood, Tridon stood in the middle of the street again while staring at another person. The person was Erica's husband, Robert. They stared each other down while Robert stood with a group of heavily-armed soldiers behind him.

"Tridon, you're a very interesting person you know." Tridon remained silent while Robert spoke, "Being able to alter reality to your choosing. From what Erica told me, she said that you could bring them to an alternate reality. But the more I observed you, the more I realized there was more to your little power."

"Was it really from your observations or is it this?" Tridon asked, "Because I think this has more evidence than what's happened over time or even from what Erica told you."

"Man," Robert groaned, "I had a speech prepared and you're ruining it."

"Dude, your speech is too generic." Tridon scoffed and slowly drew his revolver, "I don't like you." He spun the cylinder and shook his head, "But I can't do anything to hurt you or kill you. I care about Erica, but I also don't want her to be angry. Have you ever been suplexed by her before?"

"Yes..." Robert solemnly answered, "My neck hasn't been the same since we married..."

"You get used to it." Tridon continued to roll the cylinder and laughed, "This is fun."

"Look," Robert interrupted, "give your power to me right now."

"I don't know if you have a low IQ or something, but I can't just give my power up. That's not how it works."

"Oh really? Not even with a little bit of a incentive." He nodded to the soldiers who proceeded to walk forward and Tridon stepped back while readying his gun.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sayori and the girls arrived to the neighborhood while hearing loud pops in the distance.

"Those are gunshots." Sayori commented.

"How do you know?" Monika asked.

"Well, apart from that one time we were in the SWAT-like scenario, when he fired at that intruder that night, it sounded like a firework was fired, but there wasn't an echo. Gunshots don't echo."

"So that means he's either shooting at Robert or getting fired at himself." Yuri added, "It's more than likely the second scenario."

"That means we gotta go." Natsuki interrupted, "If we wait any longer he's probably gonna die!"

"We can't keep going in the car." Sayori commented, "Let's get out on foot and see if we can sneak up on whoever is trying to kill our friend!"

* * *

On the other side of the neighborhood, Tridon hid behind a tiny brick wall while being fired at. He had a shocked, straight face while his glasses hung off his eyes. He looked at his gun and sighed.

"Probably wasn't very smart to leave my gun empty." He looked around and then to his hands, "I guess I can use our past adventures in this." He snapped his fingers and they were now in their first adventure. Tridon's zombie scenario.

Tridon peaked over and saw that Robert and his soldiers were too busy fighting off the zombies advancing towards them. One of the zombies took down one of the soldiers and tore him apart. Tridon sighed in relief and ran off.

Robert noticed this and shot at Tridon. However, he had missed and groaned, "Damn it! Forget him!" Robert shouted, "Chase after that boy!"

* * *

Meanwhile the girls were screaming and sprinting down the street while zombies chased after them.

"Why did he send us here too?!" Sayori yelled.

"Do you think he knows we're here too?!" Monika questioned, "He's been able to tell when we're near."

"Just keep running!" Yuri shouted.

"We have to find him and have him fix this whole thing!" Natsuki added, "We'll need to dodge these zombies and get to him."

"Unless he changes the scenario again!" Sayori retorted, "Either way, keep running!"

* * *

Robert and his remaining soldiers chased Tridon through the neighborhood and tried to catch him. Tridon dodged bullets shot at him while dodging obstacles in front of him at the same time.

"I need to change the scenario." Tridon mumbled, "But to what." Tridon thought back to past scenarios and nodded. He snapped his fingers and they were teleported to their asylum adventure.

He stood in the lion's den area and saw Robert with his soldiers. They were confused as well but noticed him.

"Ah! There you are!" Robert shouted, "Get him!"

His soldiers ran forward, but one of them was tackled down by a lion. One of the other soldiers, "Don't worry! I'll shoot it off!" However before he could do so, he was taken down by another lion.

Robert stumbled back while Tridon knocked him over. Tridon punched him a few times before Robert kicked Tridon off of him and ran off. Tridon sighed in relief and looked at the lions snacking on the soldiers. He shook his head while he snapped his fingers.

He looked around his area and saw that he was now by a cliff side. He stared down the cliff and quickly backed up. He took a deep breath and lightly slapped his face.

"Alright, don't do that again Tridon." He sighed and turned around to stare down the barrel of a gun. On the other side, Robert stood with a heavy glare, "Oh damn..."

"Stop messing with me boy."

"You know. Saying 'boy' like that is very derogatory."

"Shut up!" Robert shouted.

"Sorry..."

"You think you're so cool huh? Having 5 girls at your fingertips suddenly makes you cool huh?"

"5?"

"Holy hell you are dense. I oughtta put a bullet in your head right now."

"You know," Tridon started, "aiming right at my forehead won't necessarily kill me right away or even kill me at all." Tridon quickly disarmed him. He placed the barrel right under his chin, "Placing the gun right in between your chin and adamsappel allows for a quick death."

"Oh yeah?" Robert held his hand up behind him as it started to glow green, "You remember that incentive?" From behind a rock, the girls were being pulled from behind it by some sort of green force.

"Pfft what?!" Tridon looked on in confusion and walked around, "Wait a second. You have some sort of stupid power too?"

"Yes! And I was waiting for this very moment!"

"Wait. This doesn't make sense!" Tridon shouted, "Why did you wait so long to use your power? You literally could've used it earlier when I was hiding behind that brick wall."

"Why would I reveal it so early? I needed something to endanger for you to cave into my demand!"

"Still, you could've finished this a long time ago."

"Hey!" Natsuki shouted, "Can you two stop bickering and get to fighting or something!"

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around this." Tridon shook his head and turned around, "You want my power right?"

"Yeah. I need it!"

"Now answer me this." Tridon turned back around and asked, "If I wanted to give you my power, and I don't, how would I do that?!"

"Good point..." While Robert was distracted for this one moment, Tridon tackled Robert to the ground and delivered one straight punch to Robert, effectively knocking him out.

Tridon cracked his knuckles and scoffed, "Idiot." He looked up to be met with a hug from the club members, "Whoa!"

"We were so worried!" Sayori yelled, "We thought you were gonna kill him or something."

"I don't wanna go to jail." Tridon commented, "Knocking him out was enough."

"But what about his powers?" Monika questioned.

"Well," Tridon walked over to him after the girls let him go and he nudged him with his foot, "I don't know. It's probably how he got so powerful in this county." Tridon looked over in the distance and noticed a few people, "Come on out!" He called out.

Almost instantly, Lucy hopped out and tried to tackle him down, but he side-stepped her. He looked down as she fell into the ground, "Ow..."

"Come on sis..." Tridon helped Lucy up and once he did, she hugged him, "I'm fine sis..."

"I know. I knew you were gonna be safe. I just want this..." Tridon slowly pushed Lucy off her and turned to Tiffany and Erica, "They came with me when you all ran off."

"I think Erica needs to say something." Tiffany pushed Erica ahead and backed up.

Erica took a deep breath and stared at her engagement ring, "I should've done this years ago." She took her ring off and dropped it next to Robert, "I made the wrong choice then." She looked at Tridon and smiled, "I can't believe I ruined such a perfect relationship because my parents forced me into something I didn't even want to do."

"But Erica..."

"I know you might not hold those same feelings again, but I want to earn that trust again." She turned to the girls and winked, "Even if I have some competition."

"Hold on a sec." Tridon snapped his fingers again and they were now at Tridon's chill-out spot. He stood in the middle of everyone and sighed, "It's been a helluva few days. I think we all just need to relax and have fun."

"Yeah." They all agreed.

"So how do we do that?" Tridon asked.

"We tackle the stupid boy!" Erica tackled Tridon along with the rest of the girls except Tiffany. They all tackled him into the lake near him and they fell into it. Everyone swam up and laughed.

Tiffany walked to the edge of the lake and asked, "What do we do about the global panic over your tirade?"

"Uh." Tridon looked at his hands and nodded, "I have the ability to reverse time by creating a scenario of the past. I did the same thing when I help Natsuki study last week. I'm sure I can do the same thing before all of this happened."

"So you're gonna bring everything back to the day at the playground?" Erica questioned.

"Yup. I can even take him out of your life." Tridon added as he looked at Robert, "So he won't bother or remember anything that happened today."

"Yes!" Natsuki cheered, "Then we can continue our club activities!"

"Give me a moment." Tridon snapped his fingers and everyone was now near the same jungle gym from before, but they were still soaking wet, "I guess I could've dried us off too..."

"Well," Erica started, "I'm just glad I'm not that idiot man's wife anymore. All he ever talked about was himself. Narcissistic prick..."

"What are you gonna do now?" Monika questioned, "If you need a place to stay, you can live with me."

"I might do that. Now that I'm not married to him, I don't have a place to live." Erica looked at everyone and smiled, "I think I might enjoy this now." Erica hugged Tridon and thanked him, "Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome." Tridon returned her embraced and looked over to Tiffany, "So Tiff, what are you gonna do? These girls know you work for the FBI. What are you gonna do?"

"I guess I can work from the outside." Tiffany sighed and leaned on the jungle gym, "I still need to monitor your power and make sure you don't do anything stupid. Unless the rest of you would do that for me."

"You know we will." The girls respond in unison.

"Well," Lucy started, "I see it that he has a group of girls he cares enough to make sure he doesn't do anything dumb, so I'll take my leave. But Erica, I'm watching you." Lucy slowly backed away before running off.

"Your sister has always been an interesting person." Sayori commented.

"I'll take my leave too." Tiffany added, "I'll keep monitoring Robert in case he tries something. He knows about your powers. He might not know Erica now, but he knows about your power. He wants it for his own selfish desire."

"We'll protect him." The girls say in unison.

"Good. I'll see all of you later." Tiffany waved them off leaving the 5 of them alone.

"So what now?" Yuri questioned, "Technically it's still the weekend. What do we do?"

"Well," Sayori started, "we could always play princess..."

"Who's gonna be the princess?" Natsuki asked.

They all turned to Tridon who sighed, "Do I need to make a scenario or are we just gonna use the jungle gym?"

Just a few moments later, Tridon sat inside the jungle gym while the dokis stood away from it. On top of the gym was Erica who had her projectiles ready.

"Unhand our handsome friend you fiend!" Sayori shouted with an accent.

"Never you bilge rats!"

"When did you become a pirate?" Tridon questioned from inside.

"Oh just shout for help." Erica responded.

"Uh. Ah. Help." Tridon lacked enthusiasm which earned him a glare from the girls, "Right. Ah! Save me brave warriors!"

"Let's go girls!" Sayori shouted, "Let's save our friend!"

"Yeah!"


	18. Another New Member

Tridon walked through the school after one of his classes and overheard some underclassmen talking. Tridon stood by the corner of the hallway and listened in.

"That new girl is kinda good looking huh?" One of them said, "I heard she left and she's back for her senior year."

"Yeah, but there's no way we can get her." Another added, "She's way out of our league."

Tridon watched them walk away while they continued to talk about the new student. Tridon sighed and nodded, "Alright..."

* * *

At PE, Tridon exited the boys' locker room and stretched a little. He looked at the other side of the gym and saw Monika with Sayori and a certain girl. Tridon crossed his arms while another boy walked up to him.

"Hey Tridon." The boy greeted.

Tridon turned to the boy and said, "'Sup Mitchell..." Tridon stared at the girl and he asked, "So the new girl all these underclassmen are talking about is Erica."

"Yup." The boy, Mitchell, confirmed, "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know. I gotta find a way to work this out."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at her. She's with Monika and Sayori. They're also part of the literature club. Do you know what this means?!" Tridon grabbed Mitchell's shirt collar and yanked it. However, this earned the attention of everyone in the gym. Tridon looked around and nervously chuckled.

"Well since you like to talk and yell so much Mr. Pierce." The PE teacher began, "Why don't you take 5 laps around the gym."

"Yes sir." Tridon nodded. Tridon sighed and started on his laps. He ran by the 3 girls and he could see them laughing at him while he ran. He shook his head and focused on his laps.

* * *

During his laps, their PE teacher started, "Alright, so before we start our day, take notice that the school drama club will run through something today during our class. When they enter, I want everyone to relax for the rest of class."

"Drama Club?" Tridon questioned, "They're doing that stupid High School Musical thing. That's dumb." Tridon continued listening to the PE teacher while they continued.

"For now, we'll be doing a pickup basketball game. 3-on-3's. Choose your teammates."

"It's obvious those 3 are teaming." Tridon finished up his laps and brought his arms behind his head while he took deep breaths, "Who's gonna be mine..." He looked around and saw Mitchell giving him a thumbs up. Tridon walked over to him and nodded, "So who's our third?"

"I don't know."

Tridon looked around and noticed a certain purple-haired girl standing behind the bleachers, "Is that...?" Tridon was about to walk over, but Monika, Sayori, and Erica stopped him, "That's Yuri. Why is she on her own?"

"She can't participate." Monika answered, "She has asthma. Or that's what her doctor note said."

"She's forging notes?"

"Yeah," Sayori answered, "but let her sit out please? She's not very athletic and the last thing you want is to see is her... ta-ta's bouncing around. Especially during basketball."

"Right." Tridon turned to Erica and smiled, "And here you are."

"Here I am." Erica responded, "I was able to transfer from my other high school back to this one."

"Cool." Tridon looked around and scratched his head, "We still need a 3rd person."

"I can do it..." Yuri answered quietly from behind them, "Will you allow me?"

"But Yuri..." Tridon tried to say something, but Yuri shook her head, "If the Teach' will allow it, then I'm all for it."

"He's already given permission."

"Alright."

"Mr. Pierce," The PE teacher called out, "your team will be facing against theirs."

Tridon gave the thumbs up and signaled for a ball, "First to what Teach'?!" Tridon called out.

"First to 10 points wins Mr. Pierce."

"Gotcha'." Tridon nodded to Mitchell and Yuri who got in position. Mitchell was ready while Yuri was a little shy, "Yuri." Tridon called out. He made gesture with his hand to calm her down and she nodded.

She took a deep breath and got ready while both teams stared each other down. Tridon stared at Erica who stood across from him and he bounced the ball to her.

"Your call."

"Check." She bounced it back. Tridon chuckled and nodded, "Let's do it Tridon."

"Yeah." Tridon passed the ball to Mitchell immediately and ran past Erica.

"Monika. Get him!" Erica ordered while chasing after Tridon.

Mitchell dribbled to the other goal and tried to pass to Tridon, but he wasn't open. He saw Yuri open and shrugged his shoulders. Mitchell passed the ball through Monika's legs and Yuri caught it. She dribbled a little bit while Sayori guarded her.

Yuri dribbled for second before hitting Sayori with a quick crossover. She dribbled to the goal and performed a lay up and easily made a shot.

"Whoa..." Everyone in the gym were shocked at Yuri. She looked around and shyly waved.

Monika caught the ball and was shocked too. However, she quickly recovered and passed the ball to Sayori. Tridon nodded and gave Yuri a thumbs up before running to guard Erica. Yuri sighed in relief and followed through with the game.

* * *

After their game, they were huffing and puffing over by the bleachers. Tridon stretched and high-fived Mitchell, "That was a good game." Tridon commented, "Close too..."

"But you 3 came out on top." Monika huffed, "You're really athletic Tridon, but I'm more surprised with Yuri."

"Yeah Yuri." Sayori started, "You are awesome at basketball!"

"No..." Yuri twirled her hair shyly and smiled, "I just copy what I see online."

"That's talent." Mitchell added, "Why aren't you on the basketball team?"

"Guys," Erica interrupted, "look at her. Would she do something like that in front of large crowds of people." Everyone took a moment think and eventually nodded in agreement.

"I gotta say though," Tridon started, "you were amazing Yuri."

"Thank you..."

* * *

Just a few moments later, the group sat at the bleachers watching other pickup games or relaxing after their game.

"Yo Mitchell," Tridon began, "is your club doing anything special for the festival?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I heard from some of your club members talking about it. I wanna participate in it if you'll allow it."

"Sure thing. It's a professional wrestling match. Have you trained?"

"Yeah. 2 years now."

"Ha. You continue to surprise me." The two fist bumped just as Monika joined them, "Oh. I'll leave you two alone."

"What?" Tridon confusingly asked. Tridon turned around to see Monika smiling at him, "Hey Monika."

"Hey there Tridon."

"Is there a problem?"

"Well, you know what's this week?"

"Um..."

"The mid-terms idiot."

"Yeah. Are you worried about it?"

"Not entirely." Monika sighed and leaned back, "You're the number two and I'm the number one in our class."

"Are you worried I might take your top spot."

"No!" She yelled, "I mean. I was thinking that we could keep it interesting."

"I'm listening."

"So let's make a bet. If I can keep my number 1 spot, you and I have to go on a date. Like an official date."

"That's cheating." Tridon commented, "You know the other girls won't allow that."

"Nah, nah. Just wait. If you somehow take that number 1 spot, I will..."

"Let's make it this way." Tridon interrupted, " If I get number 1, I want you and the girls to help me with something next week. If you get number 1, I'll go on 1 date with you. Just 1."

"I can live with that."

"Good. Because if I officially start dating you, then that's gonna stir up some trouble in the club." Tridon looked at Yuri and asked, "Did you know Yuri was that good at basketball?"

"Not a clue." Monika responded, "There's no way she learned how to play that well by just watching."

"What if she used to play?" Tridon wondered, "I mean. I can't do half of what she did during our game. Half of what I did was because of my athleticism, but there's more to her."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure yet. I think Yuri is secretly athletic." He smirked and sighed, "We'll figure it out soon enough."

* * *

Midway through PE class, the drama club made their way into the gym dressed in their costumes for their play.

"Alright," Their PE teacher began, "go and dress out. Relax for the rest of class."

Tridon and Mitchell made their way to the locker room, but a basketball was accidentally thrown in their direction. Tridon quickly caught it and looked at where it came from. He saw one of the drama club members waving and mouthing 'Sorry' to them.

"I don't think they know how basketballs work." Tridon threw it back and sighed, "They're doing that one song from the movie."

"Getcha' Head In The Game?" Mitchell answered, "Do you know the song?"

"I mean, they played the movies a lot during elementary school. So it's pretty engraved into my head."

"Why don't you join in just because."

"What? That's stupid." Tridon looked over at the drama club as they began rehearsing. He sighed and followed Mitchell into the locker rooms.

While changing, Tridon asked Mitchell, "Hey dude, I always wondered what you thought about me when we first met."

"We first met in freshmen year. Uh," Mitchell scratched the back of his head and said, "I don't know. I thought you were a normal dude. I remembered you from middle school, but we didn't _know_ each other during middle school."

"Yeah. I'm surprised we still know and talk to each other after all these years."

"Well, you needed someone who wasn't Sayori to talk to."

"True." Tridon put his uniform jacket back on and fist bumped Mitchell, "I'll see you out there dude."

"Same."

Tridon made his way out of the locker room and stretched for a second. He took a seat over by the girls and took out his phone. He checked his newest message that was from Tiffany. The message read as:

_Robert Arias has no memory of Erica or his arranged marriage. However, he hasn't forgotten you and now he has a new wife that looks to help him take your powers._

Tridon sighed and responded:

_I honestly don't care. Mid-terms start Wednesday and the school festival is next week. The last thing I want is for that dude to mess with me and my friends._

He sent it and waited for a response. She sent back:

_I'll keep tabs on him. Just focus on school._

"What is she? My mom?"? Tridon sighed and put his phone away while turning to the girls and Mitchell joining with them. They conversed for a good moment before Yuri pulled Tridon alone.

"What's up Yuri?"

"I need some advice."

"Yeah?"

"The PE teacher wants me to try out for the girl's basketball team."

"Makes sense. You were great out there."

"But I can't do it." Yuri quickly refuted, "I can't play in front of a lot of people in games that actually matter. There's no way I could do that. I would have an anxiety attack the minute I step on that court."

"Yeah. That would be bad."

"What do I do?"

"Well, the last thing I would want is for you to pass out." Yuri was about to say something, but Tridon stopped her, "And don't let me be your personal coach or something. I barely know anything about basketball. Football yeah, but basketball is a complete enigma to me. I only played in middle school from what I saw on TV."

"So should I say that I won't join the team?"

"Yeah. Tell him why and I'm pretty... doubtful he'll understand."

A few moments later, the PE teacher responded, "I completely understand."

"That's the opposite of what I thought." Tridon crossed his arms and asked, "Why were you so easy to accept that?"

"Well, Yuri here reminds me of my own daughter. Shy and not really wanting to be the center of attention. I had my daughter do something that set off an anxiety attack for her and I made it my mission to make sure nobody else went through that."

"Oh." Yuri was rather shocked and smiled, "That's a good mission."

"I know. Now run along. Just relax until the end of class."

The two nodded and walked away, "Well," Tridon began, "that went well." Tridon and Yuri high-fived one another when they met back up with their group.


	19. Doki Doki Noire

That next week, Monika rushed through everyone while Tridon walked normally with the others. Monika searched through the papers of results to see where she landed.

"Wow." Erica stood surprised and said, "She must really want that date with you."

"It's just one date." Tridon added, "I don't see why she's so worked up."

"She's also held that number 1 spot for the last 3 years." Sayori explained, "The reason she's living alone is because she's maintained that top spot for so long."

"So what happens if she loses it?" Tridon questioned.

"Beats me." Sayori responded.

"Maybe she loses the privilege of living alone." Natsuki added, "That's what would usually happen."

"She's right. She might be forced to move back in with her parents if she loses that top spot."

"Yikes." Tridon crossed his arms and shook his head, "Well, we don't have to worry about that. I barely tried and I guarantee you that I'm still number 2."

"No!" Monika yelled. Everyone ran over to her and she stared at her finger on one of the sheets, "This can't be..."

"Monika, what's up?" Tridon looked at where her finger was and his eyes widened, "No way..."

"What?" Sayori walked over and noticed what they were staring at. She slowly said, "You dropped from number 1 to number 118."

"T-That's not possible." Monika mumbled, "I studied day in and day out to make sure I was still number one. How did I drop that far."

"Hey." Natsuki started, "I'm number 86." Everyone turned to her and she laughed nervously, "Sorry..."

"How did you drop so far?" Tridon asked.

"I don't know..." Monika responded.

"Damn." Tridon noticed Monika nearing a breakdown. He slowly placed his arm around her and soothed her, "Just calm down and take some deep breaths."

"What am I gonna do? How do I drop from number 1 to number 118 from one mid-term test?"

"No clue." Tridon responded.

"What will your parents do?" Yuri asked, "Will they make you move back in with them?"

"Yeah."

"So what'll happen to me?" Erica asked, "I live with you."

"If that happens," Yuri started, "you can start living with me."

"Okay..."

"Guys," Sayori called out, "look who has the number one spot now." Sayori pointed to a name and it was Tridon, "Tridon, you're number 1."

"Oh..."

"Well," Monika announced in a defeated tone, "since I lost the bet, I have to do what you wanted me to do."

"No." Tridon shook his head and said, "I don't want it to be that way. I know it was something that we all could've done, but something is fishy about this." Tridon turned away and said, "I need to make a phone call. I'll see you girls at the club meeting later."

Tridon walked off towards the boys bathroom and stared into the mirror when he walked in. He shook his head and proceeded to wash his face. He looked up to see Robert standing behind him.

"Ha." Tridon shook his head and laughed, "Whatever dude." Tridon turned around and saw nobody. He chuckled and took out his phone, "Gotta call Tiff about this..." Tridon took out his phone and started to call Tiffany. He waited for a moment and she answered, "Yo Tiff..."

"What's wrong?"

"Something is a little off."

"How so?"

"Well," Tridon paced around the room while explaining, "our class placements were released today and Monika dropped."

"What's off about that? A little drop doesn't hurt anyone."

"No. She dropped from number 1 to number 118. That big of a drop isn't possible."

"Oh." Tiffany fell silent for a second before saying, "I think Robert might have a hand in it."

"He does have influence on the entire county. But he only knows me. He doesn't know Monika and the others, right?"

"I'm not sure. I'll keep my ears to the street and I'll tell you what I find."

"Alright. Thanks Tiff." Tridon hung up and sighed, "Gotta just keep going normally."

* * *

Later that day, Tridon sat with Monika who was still shaken up by her big drop in the class. He looked over to the other girls who urged him to talk to her.

"Monika, it'll be fine."

"No it won't Tridon. I can't get back over 100 before the year ends."

"That's what you think." Tridon slammed his hand on her desk and stood up, "I can help you study and see what caused you to drop. I helped those 3 and I know for sure I can help you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." He looked at everyone and said, "We'll all support you. You're still our president. You're still our friend. Right?"

"Without doubt." Sayori agreed, "We're all here for you Monika. Through thick and thin."

"Thank you everyone." Monika sighed in relief and stood up, "Right. I shouldn't let that mess with me. We have to continue with our club!"

"Great!" Natsuki exclaimed, "I think we should think about the festival. Maybe we could do something for it?"

"Sorry," Tridon interrupted, "I don't think I'll exactly be available for most of the festival."

"What do you mean?" Yuri asked, "What are you doing?"

"Well, I promised Mitchell that I'll participate in his club's activity. I'm free today, but tomorrow and Wednesday, I won't."

"Well," Natsuki and Sayori sat Tridon down while Monika handed him a packet of paper and saying, "we have a scenario here Tridon."

"Right. We have a Noire like story. I can dig it." Tridon snapped his fingers and the club were teleported to a world where their filter was black and white. They wore trench coats of some sort with fedoras, "And we have our scenario."

"Ah man." Erica stretched and smiled, "Apart from this past weekend, I haven't done this in a long time."

"Well, we have our story." Sayori commented, "What's our case?"

"Alright," Tridon put on a heavy-boston accent and tipped his fedora before putting his hands in his pockets, "we have a murder case here. Female. 27 years old and was shot 3 times. Twice in the chest and once in the head. Rather quick and painless."

"Why the accent?" Yuri questioned, "There's no way that's realistic."

"Don't ruin my fun Yuri." Tridon pleaded, "We just need to follow the story that leads us..."

"To a bar down the street here." Natsuki finished, "Will people believe we're 21?"

"All we gotta do is flash our badge, right?" Erica responded, "I'm sure it'll be fine if we just flash it right?"

"If I remember correctly," Tridon started, "we aren't actually detectives. We're doing this from our own volition."

"Then how do we get into a bar?" Yuri asked.

"Monika," Sayori started, "what do we do?"

"Well, in the story, one of us convinces the initial bouncer to let us in." Everyone turned to Tridon who sighed, "Please?"

"Alright." Tridon agreed, "Let's go."

They approached the bar and they noticed that they were being watched. This made them a little uncomfortable. Tridon shook his head and signaled the girls to remain close to him.

"Just ease up girls." Tridon started, "Remember, nothing really bad happens in this story. The most I remember from reading is that we have one minor shootout. Then we catch the perp after a car chase."

"That's pretty much it." Monika confirmed, "I wanted to make sure nobody would get hurt. Especially a certain friend of ours."

"Who? Sayori?" Tridon asked earning him a suplex from Sayori, "Guah!"

"Oh," Sayori chirped, "that's a new sound."

"Gotta keep it interesting." Tridon groaned.

"Come on." Yuri helped Tridon up and sighed, "Let's hurry up and do whatever we need to do."

When they approached the bar, the bouncer instantly stopped them, "Sorry. You're not authorized to enter."

"Oh we're plenty authorized." Tridon snapped his fingers and the bouncer disappeared, "That was easy."

"Because you used your power." The girls all say in unison.

"Right, but we can go in." The girls all sighed and walked past him. Monika stopped next to him and pinched his cheeks lightly, "Haha..."

They took a look inside and noticed that it was a typical bar around the age this story is taking place. Tridon looked to the side and saw a toothpick dispenser. He took one and put it in his mouth.

"So what do we do?" Natsuki questioned, "Split up?"

"Yeah." Tridon agreed, "Monika and I will go check the left side of the of bar. Natuski and Yuri, you two check the right side. Sayori, Erica, you girls check around the center. We'll meet back together at the bar tender area." Everyone nodded and split up.

Tridon and Monika looked around their area and didn't see any suspicious people. Tridon tapped his chin while looking around.

"What kinda person would we looked for?" Tridon questioned. He took out Monika's story from his pocket and read it over, "With us being spread out, we'll be able to easily ask the people you identified in the story."

"On our side," Monika began, "we should have a man wearing trench coat like yours and glasses."

"Over there." Tridon pointed towards the corner of the bar and there indeed was a man with glasses along with a trench coat next to him, "Who's gonna do the talking?"

"I'll do it." Monika answered, "Just back me up in case he gets hostile."

"Gotcha'."

Monika and Tridon confronted the man who looked up at them and sighed, "Is there a problem?"

"We have answers and we want some questions." Tridon slammed his fist on the table causing Monika to pinch his cheeks, "Ow..."

"I'm so sorry, but geez you can be stupid sometimes." Monika looked at the man and said, "We're here needing some information on a certain individual."

"You won't be getting anything from me." The man responded, "I'm just here trying to get a drink before heading home."

Tridon overlooked the man and held up his hand to Monika, "Are you really going home from work or are you really here for something else?" Tridon looked at the other side of the booth and smirked, "You're here waiting for a certain someone aren't you?"

"Tridon..." Monika tried to say something, but Tridon stopped her.

"It's not a woman..." Tridon stared at the gun on the man's waist and smirked, "Listen, there's just too many people around here to do anything rash. Just tell what you can tell us."

The man looked up at Tridon who stood just a few inches away from the man. He shook his head and said, "The man you're looking for does control this side of town. That's all I'm authorized to tell you."

Tridon nodded and walked off, "We got the information we needed."

"But Tridon..." Monika followed after Tridon who made his way to the bar.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuri looked around at each patron and sighed in frustration, "I don't know what we need to look for. I didn't get to read Monika's story, so I don't know how to progress."

"Well, the perp we're looking for is a mob boss." Natsuki answered, "If we can find some of his henchmen looming around this place."

"Did her story ever talk about what they looked like?"

"Not necessarily." Natsuki noticed a group of men drinking at a nearby table, "Those men over there." She discreetly pointed at them and said, "They have guns underneath their jackets. They're a group of his men."

"We can't just walk up to them and ask. I'm not stupid. If we do that, that would end badly for us."

"Get your mind out of the gutter Yuri." Natsuki turned around and made her way to the bar, "We know something at least."

Sayori walked around while Erica watched her go from table to table asking people the same question.

"Have you killed anyone recently?"

"Sayori," Erica started, "I don't think anyone would openly answer whether or not they've killed someone."

"It's all I can do."

"Hm." Erica shook her head and looked at certain patrons, "I'm sure the others have noticed this, but this place is owned by some mob boss. Maybe..."

"Save it for the group." Sayori interrupted while pointing to the others who were now sitting at the bar, "They work fast and I think you have it all figured it out."

"Right."

* * *

Once the group gathered at the bar, each of them broke down what they learned from their investigations.

"So it's obvious this whole region we're in is a controlled by some big mob boss." Tridon explained, "But was he the one that personally killed the woman?"

"He has a lot of his people here." Natsuki added, "So this must be a hot spot for him."

"If anything, he might come here soon." Erica commented, "If this is one of his strongholds or something, he might be here at some point."

"That explains who that guy over there is waiting on someone." Monika pointed out, "He's probably not part of his gang, but an ally or something."

Tridon stood up and made his way out of the bar, "I have a plan."

"Huh?"

"Just chill out and follow me girls."

* * *

An hour later, Tridon sat in a car across the street with the other girls, "In the story, this is where the chase scene begins." Tridon reached into his pocket and took out a gun, "One of you shoot at his tires when he gets going."

"I'll do it." Sayori quickly answered, "I think I can get a shot or two going."

"Maybe I should do it." Erica interrupted after taking the gun from Sayori, "Tridon has shown me how to shoot a gun."

"Wait." Yuri interrupted, "You told us that you never even told Sayori that you owned a gun. Did you tell Erica?"

"I did." Tridon answered.

"Why not me!" Sayori yelled, "Do you not trust me?"

"It's not that. I just didn't want you to worry about me owning a gun."

"Mmm..." Sayori puffed her cheeks out and sat back with the girls.

"Here he is." Tridon pointed out. A black car drove up to the bar before speeding almost immediately, "Let's go!" Tridon shifted the car and quickly followed the car.

A man leaned out the black car and fired at them. This caused Tridon to swerve around to dodge the bullets.

"Damn it." Tridon shook his head and turned to the back, "You can't get a shot from your seat Erica. Give the gun to Monika."

"Me?!" Monika shockingly asked.

"You're on that window side!" Tridon shouted, "You're on the side he's firing from!"

Erica handed Monika the gun who only stared at it, "I..."

"Just do it Monika. If you don't, we all tumble and get hurt." Just as Tridon said this, the window to their car was shot out and so was Tridon's shoulder, "Aw come on!" Tridon shouted.

"Ah!" Monika panicked and peaked her head out. She fired blindly until the gun was empty, "Oh what am I doing?!"

"I guess we'll just need to do brute force." Tridon shifted into high gear and drove next to the car. Tridon rammed into the car repeatedly while the person shooting at them leaned out again.

Tridon drive close enough to rip the gun from his hands and fired into him, effectively killing him. Tridon drove fast to keep pace with car. He turned to Yuri in the passenger seat and sighed.

"Yuri," He started, "take the wheel."

"Huh?"

"Keep your foot on the gas."

"What are you thinking?!" Sayori yelled, "Are you stupid?!"

"I might just be." Tridon slowly climbed onto the top of the car and shouted, "Keep the car steady!"

"Why does he keep doing this?" Natsuki asked, "He always tries to do something that'll get him hurt."

"Inferiority complex." Erica answered, "For much of his life, despite being gifted in everything he does, he feel inferior to everyone. He'll do aggressive actions like get himself hurt or nearly killed in order to show that he isn't inferior."

"But he boasted about how good he was at football." Monika commented, "Was he just playing it up?"

"I'm not sure. He was a great player. If he said he was great, than he wasn't fibbing. But he always tried to outplay himself in order to not feel inferior to his opponents to his teammates."

"How did I know about this?" Sayori asked herself, "We spend just about everyday with each other. How do you know more about him than me? His own childhood, best friend."

"He doesn't want to worry you. He knows that you'll add more to his plate and he doesn't want that. He wants to keep having fun and have a normal relationship with you. He doesn't want to burden anyone."

"But..."

They felt the car shake a little when Tridon leaped onto the other car.

"Tridon!" The girls yell.

Tridon stumbled slightly before regaining his balance. He inched his way towards the driver-side window before punching it out. A gunshot flew past him causing him to move back to the roof. The mob boss peaked his hand over and continuously shot at Tridon who rolled past every bullet.

"What do we do?" Natsuki asked, "There's no way he can cause him to spin out on his own." Natsuki thought for a second and told Yuri, "Yuri, ram into those rear wheels!"

"But I can't. He's still on top of the car."

"A small price to pay. It's better than him getting killed. Just do it!"

"Right..." Yuri looked at the rear wheels of the and immediately rammed into them. Tridon lost his balance and fell off the passenger side. He narrowly grabbed onto the edge while holding his legs in the air, "Uh oh..."

The mob boss aimed at him and fired at him. Tridon shifted to the hood while the man fired at him. The window broke from the man shooting it and Tridon was able to kick him just as Yuri rammed him again.

The mob boss lost control enough to spin out. Tridon kept his balance while looking at his car. He ran across the hood while it started spinning. He leaped off the car and landed right on top of their car.

Everyone looked at the car spin and flip over. It flipped several times before settling on the ground. Tridon sighed in relief as he peaked his head through the windshield.

"That was a close one." He slyly commented, "But we got'em."

"Are you okay?" Monika asked, "Your shoulder."

"I'm fine. I don't feel it."

Yuri stopped the car just in front of the wrecked car. Everyone got out and Tridon hopped off the car. Everyone slowly made their way to the car while the man crawled out of it with blood protruding from his head.

"Oh no..." Monika mumbled, "Not this part..."

"What part?" Sayori silently asked.

The man quickly stood up and aimed his gun at them. He shot just as fast as he stood up and the bullet flew towards Monika.

"No!" Tridon yelled. He shielded Monika and was shot in the back. Tridon winced and took out a smaller gun from inside his coat. He shot 3 times with each shot hitting the mob bosses's head. Tridon smirked and took off his trench coat. He unbuttoned his vest and dress shirt to reveal a bulletproof vest underneath it, "I've learned from my mistakes."

"Whew..." Sayori sighed in relief before slugging Tridon in his arm, "Stop raising our heart rate when you do stuff like that."

"I'm sorry my best, childhood friend."

"Haha..." Sayori hugged him and pinched him lightly, "I'm just glad you're fine."

"I've learned from the last few times I got hurt." Everyone heard sirens in the distance causing Tridon to chuckle, "That's our cue." Tridon snapped and everyone was now back at school.

"That was fun." Natsuki said while stretching, "It's good to do one of these adventures again."

"Definitely." Yuri added, "But I think it's time we finally head home. We have the school festival starting Wednesday. I heard Tridon will be participating in the Pro-Wrestling club's event Wednesday."

"Yup. Gonna make my wrestling debut against Mitchell. I can't wait for all of you to see it."

"I can't wait!" Sayori shouted while jumping on Tridon's back, "You've been training at that wrestling school since sophomore year. I can't wait to see what kinda moves you can do."

"Haha..." Tridon laughed for a second before noticing Monika hadn't said anything since he took the bullet for her, "Hey girls, let me talk to Monika for a second. We'll see all of you at the entrance gate."

"Alright. Don't be too long." Erica said while everyone waved them off.

Tridon looked at Monika who avoided his gaze, "You really should've expected me to take that bullet and to jump on that other car."

"Well, I thought this would be a normal adventure. Just a normal noire-style adventure, but it nearly killed you again."

"Aw come on." Tridon hugged Monika who didn't return his embrace, "You know an adventure isn't dull or normal when it's all of us and I love it." He booped Monika's nose causing her to look at him, "And I'm glad it's with all of you. I love the time we all spend together."

"But Tridon."

"No." Tridon inched close to Monika and smirked, "I love this and I don't want you looking like a sour grape because of some stupid scenario." The two locked eyes with Tridon holding the same smirk, "Also, I think you're the only who hasn't gotten one of these." Tridon gave Monika a small peck on her cheek and winked, "Now you've gotten your kiss with me."

"I-I..."

"Now come on. Let's head on home.

Tridon walked off while Monika held the cheek Tridon kissed. Her eyes glistened as a bright smile rose on her face. Monika quietly squealed while catching up to Tridon.

And now begins the festival arc...


	20. Big Match Tridon

Tridon got in his car and slowly moved it in front of Sayori's house. He chuckled and honked his horn, "Let's go Sayori!"

Just a few moments, Sayori walked out of her house and ran to his car, "Sorry dude." Sayori hopped into the passenger seat and situated herself, "Tried to figure out if I wanted to go casual or comfortable."

Tridon laughed and lightly nudged, "You're gonna make my late for my match."

"Oh man." Sayori jumped in her seat while Tridon drove off, "You've been training at that wrestling school for the last 2 years and now I finally get to see you in action!"

"I'm excited to be honest. I heard my opponent is someone that's been to the WWE Performance Center. I hope they can put a good word for me."

"That would be awesome!"

"You know, I'm surprised the school got a spot for our festival at the baseball stadium."

"It's a big event. Bigger than it's been the last few years."

"I can't wait to do my match in front of a big crowd." Tridon took a deep breath while they arrived at the baseball stadium, "I think the others will love the match."

"Is it hardcore?"

"No. Just a normal one on one."

"It'd be cool to see you do a hardcore match or something." Sayori stretched while Tridon parked the car, "But do you think the girls will freak out if you do a big spot or something?"

"Probably." Tridon shut his car off and looked at Sayori, "You wanna go out this weekend after the festival."

"Hell yeah!" Sayori cheered, "You've been skimping out on me to hang out with the others. And here I thought that you loved me." Sayori crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out, "I thought we were best childhood friends."

"And we are." Tridon lightly pushed her cheeks in and laughed, "But if I only hang out with you, those girls will do more just to get with me. Just easing timing between all of them."

"When are you gonna choose?"

"I'm not sure about that." Tridon stepped out the car and said, "Maybe at that winter dance. I'll probably make my choice then."

"You're really gonna go?"

"Well, the others will force us to go. So we might as well go."

"We can make that something we can do this weekend."

"What?"

"Gotta find something to wear. We don't have anything for the dance."

"Right." Tridon walked over to his backseat and took out his duffel bag, "But let's talk about that later. Gotta get in the stadium."

"Oh!" Sayori quickly hopped out the car and stared at his bag, "Is that your wrestling attire?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Let me see!" Tridon jerked his bag away just as Sayori was about to open it, "Hey!"

"No peaking yet. Wait until the match."

"Hmph..."

"Oh come on..."

"Fine. As long as you win, I'll be fine with you skimping out on me."

"Oh come on. Why would I reveal my debut attire. It'll ruin the surprise."

"I'm your best childhood friend." Sayori pouted, "I should be one of the first people to see your wrestling gear."

"Come on." Tridon pulled Sayori towards the stadium and pointed at the rest of club waiting in front of the entrance, "They're waiting for us."

"Sigh..." Sayori over-exaggerated a sigh and Tridon started to give her a noogie, "Ah! Stop!"

"No!"

"I'll suplex you!"

"Good! It'll prepare me!"

They approached the club and they all simultaneously shouted, "Ahem!"

Tridon and Sayori froze and looked at the rest of them to ask, "What?"

"Tridon," Monika began, "your match is in an hour. Mitchell has been looking for you."

"Ah crap!" Tridon ran past them and shouted, "I'll see you girls during the match!"

The girls waved him off before glaring at Sayori who laughed nervously, "So uh... how's everybody doing?"

"Sayori," Yuri started, "we promised we wouldn't try anything until Friday."

"Come on guys," Sayori refuted, "I'm just having fun with my best friend. You're telling me that I can't even do that?"

"Yes!" They all answer in unison.

"Ah psh." Sayori walked ahead of them and sighed, "Come on. We're not gonna get good spot for his match by just standing here."

* * *

In the locker room of the baseball stadium, Tridon had already finished putting on his attire and he was stretching in preparation for his match.

Mitchell walked into his locker room and asked, "You ready to go?"

"Yup. Born ready dude."

"Quick change to the match."

"What is it?"

"It'll be a 2 O' 3 Match."

"A what?"

"It's basically a 2 out of 3 falls match, but it's no holds barred."

"So falls count anywhere and extreme rules?"

"That's right."

"Whoo..." Tridon stretched his arms before walking over to Mitchell, "The girls are gonna be a little worried."

"It's just to draw attention. You don't have to take a weapon shot or anything. Just put your heart out there."

"You already know I will."

"Cool."

* * *

30 minutes later, Tridon got ready at the entrance way and was met by the wrestler he was going against.

"Hey there Tridon," the wrestler greeted, "It's gonna be fun out there.."

"Oh." Tridon shook Jordan's hand and smiled, "Hell yeah dude."

"You're a pretty good wrestler. I can't believe you've been training for only 2 years, right?"

"Yup. I know it's not some big time match, but I'm ready to do anything to entertain the crowd. Mostly my friends who I hope are front row."

"Well, just go crazy out there. Any big spots you're ready to do with weapons, I'm ready for too."

"Cool." The two fist bumped while Jordan's music hit.

"That's my queue." Jordan stretched and nodded to Tridon, "I'll see ya' out there."

Tridon waved him off as while he continued to warm up.

"We have first, billing from Tennessee!" The ring announcer began, "Weighing 223 pounds. Jordan Bills!"

"That's his opponent?" Natsuki questioned, "He doesn't look 223..."

"Probably the muscle." Monika added, "Muscle weighs more than fat, so the muscle on him probably adds weight to him. Plus, he looks bigger than Tridon."

"I hope the match isn't too bad." Yuri uttered, "The announcer said it was a 2 O' 3 Match earlier. That means one of them has to get 2 falls to win."

"Not to mention that it's no DQ." Erica added, "I wonder why they changed the stipulation so late."

"I don't care." Sayori interrupted with a gleam in her eye, "We finally get to see him wrestle!" Tridon's music hits and the girls all turned to the entrance ramp, "Here he comes!"

"And our challenger, from Colorado and weighing 214 pounds, Tridon Pierce!"

"Didn't he say he was 212?" Yuri pointed out, "Why did the announcer say 214?"

"Probably bulked up a little." Erica answered, "Plus, I think he said this week is cheat week so that he can enjoy food at the festival."

"Oh..."

Sayori stared at Tridon and his attire and smiled, "Now I finally get to see his gear. Black and yellow. Good combination."

"He's wearing kickpads that looks a little off though." Natsuki added, "He should take that off or get a different pair of kickpads."

Tridon finished his entrance and stood across the ring from Jordan. The two walked up to each other and shook hands with one another.

"Here they go."

Once Tridon moved back to his corner and touched the turnbuckle, he walked over to Jordan and delivered a spinning sole kick to his mid-section. He followed it up with a low kick with his right foot.

Jordan stumbled back and Tridon tried to go in for a normal strike, but Jordan deflected his strike and kicked Tridon in his abdomen. Tridon stumbled back and when he looked up, Jordan delivered a knee strike to his face, sending him to the floor.

"Oh..." Yuri winced.

"He can sell." Erica added, "But I think it's just beginning."

Tridon slowly sat up and Jordan tried to kick him back down, but Tridon pushed his leg away. The crowd applauded the short sequence between the two and Tridon took a moment to look at his friends who waved at him.

Once Jordan gained his footing again, he was kicked again in the abdomen. Tridon ran up to him and performed a victory roll. Tridon quickly got back up while Jordan remained on the ground. Tridon leaped into the air and delivered a foot stomp to Jordan.

"Whoa!" Natsuki cheered, "You guys see how fast he did that?!"

"That's right Tridon!" Sayori stood up and cheered, "Get that dub!"

Tridon tried to pick Jordan up, but Jordan shrugged him off and picked him up instead. Jordan carried him to the turnbuckle and dropped him on the top turnbuckle.

"Ouch..." Yuri grabbed her face after seeing Tridon dropped on the top turnbuckle, "I mean it's obvious he used his hands to stop most of the force, but still..."

"Don't worry Yuri." Sayori reassured Yuri by adding, "Wrestlers have safety engraved into their brains when going through training. You always have to learn how to protect your opponent. No matter what. You definitely don't want the title of being an unsafe wrestler."

Jordan tried to perform an enziguri, but Tridon rolled out the way of it. He turned around and tried to perform a sliding clothesline, but missed his target.

"Was that a botch?" Monika asked, "I think he was suppose to connect with that move."

"Probably." Sayori laughed and cheered still, "You got this dude! Show 'em who's boss!"

Jordan, to make up for the botch, grabbed Tridon and delivered a belly to belly suplex, sending Tridon flipping behind him.

"Whoa!" Sayori yelled, "Whoo!"

"She's really into it." Natsuki laughed, "I might as well get into it too. Whoo!"

Tridon quickly rolled out the ring and Jordan did the same.

"They're going outside!" Sayori cheered.

"That means..." Monika worriedly mumbled.

Jordan tried to strike Tridon, but Tridon dodged and delivered a flatliner to Jordan. Tridon looked at him and then to the crowd. He smirked and walked over to the apron. He dug under and took out a bat. He held it up as the crowd cheered.

Jordan stood up and ran to Tridon, but Tridon knocked him back down with the bat. He walked over to the girls and smiled at them. He fist bumped Sayori before moving to attack Jordan with the bat.

"He's stomping as he hit." Yuri pointed out, "Why?"

"He can't hit him for real with the bat Yuri." Erica answered, "He's probably doing to give Jordan the signal to sell getting hit with the bat."

Tridon threw the bat down and picked Jordan up. However, Jordan shrugged him off and whipped Tridon to the ground. Jordan quickly went for the cover, but Tridon easily kicked out at 1.

Tridon punched Jordan in the stomach causing him to stumble back. Tridon kicked Jordan in the stomach, sending him to one knee before kicking the back of his head. He turned around and delivered one more stiff kick to the back of his head again.

Tridon picked him up and rammed Jordan into the steel barricade before whipping him into the ring post. Tridon picked up the bat and hit Jordan one more time before throwing it back to the ground. He picked it up and threw Jordan back into the ring.

Tridon hopped onto the ring apron and bounced his right leg. Jordan slowly stood up and Tridon squatted down before jumping onto the top rope and used it to springboard over to the Jordan and delivering the Phenomenal Forearm.

"Whoa!" The girls all shout.

"Whoo!" Sayori cheered, "That was awesome!"

Tridon quickly picked Jordan up and delivered his signature move, an inverted stomp facebreaker. Tridon slide over to the corner and yelled at Jordan to get up.

Jordan groggily got up and Tridon sprinted over to him to deliver his finisher, a tilt-a-whirl backstabber.

"Oh damn!" Sayori shouted, "Now that's a finisher."

Tridon went for the cover, but Jordan barely kicked out at 2 and a half. Tridon sat up shocked and slapped the mat. Jordan stood up, but Tridon ran off the ropes and delivered a spinning axe kick and tried to go for another pin. However, Jordan kicked out at 2.

Jordan rolled out the ring to catch his breath and Tridon looked down at him from the ring. Tridon smiled to the crowd and raised his arms up repeatedly to hype the crowd up.

"What's he doing?" Yuri questioned, "He's not gonna jump outside is he?"

"I think he is!" Sayori cheered, "Do it Tridon!"

Tridon jumped onto the rope and performed a springboard corkscrew moonsault to the outside. Tridon hit Jordan with his leg and landed back first onto the padding below. The crowd roared with applause and chanted 'This is awesome' while Tridon slipped Jordan something.

"That was awesome!" Sayori and Natsuki cheered.

"I have to admit," Monika started, "the athleticism this boy has surprises me day after day. Oh gosh, but I hope he's okay."

"He's okay." Erica commented, "If there wasn't any padding, he wouldn't be okay."

"Whoo!" Yuri cheered shocking the others, "What? That was amazing."

Tridon picked Jordan up to reveal a bloody face. Tridon pushed Jordan back into the ring and wiped some blood off himself.

"He's bloody." Natsuki commented, "How?"

"I think he might've bladed himself." Sayori commented, "Either that or he handed him a blood-packet."

He looked up to the top turnbuckle and proceeded to climb it. He stood straight up and yelled at Jordan to get up again.

Jordan got up and Tridon leaped from the turnbuckle and delivered a famouser. The crowd roared while he went for the pin, "1, 2... ah!" Jordan kicked out shocking Tridon who got on his knees and took a deep breath.

However, Jordan sat up like the Undertaker and quickly stood up. He waited for Tridon around. Once Tridon turned around, he kicked one of Tridon's leg, sending him to one knee. Jordan jumped on Tridon's knee that was still up and balanced himself on it before jumping off and kicking the back of his head.

"Oh!" Natsuki shouted, "Now that was sweet.

* * *

A few more spots later, Tridon rolled away from a potential strike from Jordan and quickly underhooked Jordan. He lifted him and dropped him on his knee. Tridon went for the pin and, "1, 2... oh!"

"So close!" Monika exclaimed, "That was almost the first pinfall." Monika laughed and stood up with the other girls, "Come on Tridon!"

Tridon growled at Jordan before picking him up and irish whipping him into the corner. Tridon slapped him and put him on the top turnbuckle. Tridon climbed up with him as the crowd's rising 'whoas' filled the baseball stadium. Tridon and Jordan stood at the top before Tridon and Jordan flipped in unison to perform an avalanche spanish fly.

"Oh!" The girls cheered.

Tridon for the pin and, "1, 2, 3!"

"The first pin!" Sayori cheered, "Only one more to go!"

After several more spots, including a pop-up hurricanrana, Tridon had Jordan grounded while he went for a springboard moonsault. However, Jordan rolled out the way, and Tridon missed.

Jordan waited for Tridon to stand up before he grabbed him and delivered his finisher, The Final Cut, a twisting suplex. Jordan went for the pin and, "1, 2, 3!"

"Aw..." Sayori puffed her cheeks and shouted, "Just shake it off Tridon! You still got this!"

* * *

In the final stretch of the match, Tridon was making his comeback. He waited for Jordan to get up from the corner. He ran at him when he got up and delivered a flying forearm. Once Tridon delivered it, he kipped up and yelled, hyping up the crowd.

Jordan tried to deliver a move, but Tridon shifted behind him and delivered a poison-rana. While he was still groggy, Tridon picked him up again and delivered a flip-piledriver.

Tridon quickly climbed the top rope and took a deep breath. He stood up and attempted a 450 splash, but Jordan held his knees up and stopped Tridon. Jordan tried to pick him up again, but Tridon tossed him over his shoulder.

Tridon keeled back before sprinting towards Jordan and hitting him with a running knee strike clean to the head. The crowed roared and Tridon went for the pin, "1, 2, 3!"

The crowed roared with applause as Tridon slowly slide off Jordan and breathing heavily. Tridon's entrance music hit as the announcer began.  
  
"We have your winner, your very own Tridon Pierce!"

Tridon stood up and threw his arms in the air. He climbed the turnbuckle and soaked in the crowds cheers. Jordan stood up and held his hand out to Tridon who happily shook it. Tridon pumped his arms in the air while the crowd roared with cheers.

Tridon looked down at his friends and hopped out the ring. He held his arms out and he hugged all of them.

"Oh geez are you sweaty." Natsuki commented, "But you were awesome!"

"Thanks Natsuki." Tridon backed up and said, "Meet me behind the curtain." Tridon jogged to behind the curtains while the girls rushed over to meet him.

Once they did, he got a much better group hug, "That's gotta be one of the better debut matches ever." Tridon commented, "I gotta thank Jordan for that."

"Hey man," Jordan walked over to Tridon who broke away from his group, "you got some real potential. I do have some comments."

"Alright. Shoot."

"So, you work a little stiff on your kicks. Maybe work a little more on selling the delivery of your kicks rather than working stiff. Also, when you go for outside dives like that second one you did, make sure you remember where your opponent is before you do the move."

"Yeah. That 2nd outside dive was my fault."

"I couldn't really sell it 'cause you missed me by a mile."

"I have to admit, I was a little embarrassed."

"I was embarrassed for you dude." Sayori added while hugging Tridon from behind, "But you were still awesome out there."

"She's right Tridon. In only 2 years of training, for you to do all that, you have a real talent for this thing. Stick with it and you might become a big star in WWE or AEW. If not those, maybe NJPW or ROH." Jordan bumped fists with Tridon before walking off.

"Whoo!" Tridon cheered, "That was so much fun."

"Do you wanna rest Tridon?" Monika asked, "You're really sweaty."

"Yeah. A little bit." Tridon hugged his friends again before grabbing a nearby towel.

"Dang it dude." Natsuki scowled, "You got us wet with your sweat."

"Sorry." Tridon wiped himself down and put the towel around his neck. Yuri walked over to him and touched his hair, "Yeah Yuri?"

"Your hair. I noticed you were growing it out last month, but was it for this?"

"Not really. I used my powers to make it longer and to put the dye in." Tridon looked around and asked, "Do any of you girls have a scrunchy?"

"Want me to just tie your hair?" Erica offered.

"Yeah." Tridon turned around so Erica could tie, "So what did you girl think of the match?"

"We all thought it was awesome." Sayori answered in a raspy voice, "Some of the spots worried us, namely Yuri, but it was awesome still."

"I was just worried that you might botch a move and screw up." Yuri commented, "But I loved the match."

"Me too." Natsuki added, "Sayori and I definitely got into it and I think Sayori might be losing her voice."

"Nothing a little ice cream won't help." Tridon winked at Sayori who's eyes gleamed brightly.

"All finished there big guy."

"Cool. I'm just gonna go put a shirt on and we'll head out."

"You're staying in your gear?" Monika asked.

"Yeah. It's not too uncomfortable. My bag is with Mitchell, so he'll probably give it to me while we're checking out the festival."

"Alright, we'll see you out there."

Tridon waved the girls off and stretched a little, "I think this week is gonna be awesome." Tridon muttered to himself before moving to grab a shirt.

* * *

-Epilogue-

Later that night, Tridon leaned on his car with his phone out. He looked up and noticed the girls carrying Sayori. He chuckled and asked, "Too much food?"

"Too much food." They answer in unison.

"Just get her in." Tridon put his phone away and asked, "Do your parents know you're all staying at my house for the rest of the festival?"

"Yup." They answered in unison again.

"Sweet. We'll probably need to get ready for bed as soon as we get to my house. So who's showering first?"

"Uh..." They again, answered in unison.

"Figure it out in the car." Tridon got in the car after the girls got situated. He started the car and drove off to the house.

At the house, Tridon was setting up the sleeping bags in his room while the girls tried to figure out who was going to shower first.

"So who's showering first?" Erica wondered.

"Should it be Tridon?" Monika offered.

"No." Sayori sighed, "There's no way he would shower before girls. It's how he was when we was living with his family."

"Should we do longest hair first?" Yuri answered, "Since we take the longest because of our hair."

"That would leave us without hot water." Natsuki disagreed, "Which does remind me that Tridon going last would leave him without hot water too."

"Hm..."

"Girls," Tridon interrutped, "I can shower first. I don't take long." The girls looked at each other and smirked devilishly before nodding, "Cool." Tridon moved back upstairs while the girls crept to the stairs, "No peaking!"

"Aw man!"


	21. Festival Shenanigans

The girls woke up to see Tridon gone, but the aroma of a breakfast filled their nostrils sending them downstairs in a pure state of bliss. Tridon turned around to see the girls situating themselves at the kitchen island.

"Good morning girls." Tridon greeted, "The breakfast isn't all too big since we have to get ready for a day of eating again."

"I don't care." Sayori commented, "As long as I get to eat your cooking, I'll be fine."

"Well," Monika started, "since we've been dealing with so much other stuff the last few weeks, we need to assess how we'll get new members."

"What about us?" Tridon asked while pointing at Erica, "We're new members."

"I don't think you can be classified as new anymore Tridon." Monika chuckled, "And true, Erica is still a new member. However, we need more members. More people means more extravagant adventures to go on."

"True..." Tridon agreed.

"So we'll need to do some scouting for others."

"Question." Natsuki interrupted, "Who's splitting up with who?"

Everyone turned to Tridon while he quickly placed their plates down at astonishing speed before snapping his fingers and disappearing into thin air.

"Hey!"

"I'm not gonna get hounded by the 5 of you!" Tridon shouted, "Let me make the decision!"

"Where are you?" Sayori asked, "You sound close."

"I'm still here. I'm just invisible."

"How?!" The girls ask in unison.

"I thought you girls knew that I could just bend reality."

"I thought you created worlds." Yuri commented.

"I make the worlds by bending reality to my will." Tridon sighed and said, "I should probably go with Monika since she's the president. Sayori, you're the VP, so maybe you can go with Natsuki and scout some people."

"Then that leaves me with Yuri." Erica added, "That should be fine, right Yuri?"

"Yeah." The two high-five'd and looked at Sayori who looked down in the dumps, "Tridon..."

"Sayori, I did say you and I were gonna hangout this weekend."

"Yeah, but we always hung out at the festival."

"At our house because these festivals always sucked."

"True..."

"But this year, I got to do my debut match as a wrestler, won my debut match, and I get to spend the week with my favorite girls."

"Aw..." Sayori cooed, "If I could see you I would kinda armbar you, but I would make it a loving armbar."

"How is that possible?" Tridon appeared behind Sayori and said, "I'm kinda curious."

"Like this." Sayori performed a crossarmbreaker on Tridon, but instead of locking it in, she caressed his arm rather than force it out of its socket, "See?"

"To be honest, I don't know if I should feel h*rny or weird."

"However you want." Sayori teased.

"Ahem!" The others shout before ripping Tridon from her grasp.

"I probably should've stayed invisible..."

"Hands off girls." Monika groaned while trying to pull Tridon to herself, "He said he would go with me."

"But we're not at the festival Monika!" Natsuki grumbled while trying to pull Tridon to herself, "So hands off!"

"I don't think this is a good idea." Yuri muttered, but she pulled the hardest out of the 4, "But I want some time with him now!"

"I haven't had a good day with him in a long time!" Erica shouted, "I was his first girlfriend!"

"You probably should've stayed invisible dude." Sayori commented, "Now you have not-so-loving armbars on you."

"Thanks for letting me know..." Tridon winced while the girls pulled on him harder.

* * *

Later in the car, Tridon ringed and stretched his arms while everyone except Sayori sat in the back. He fixed his review and held a disappointed look at them.

"You 4 need to chill." Tridon commented after turning the car on, "I swear. I like all of you for sure, but I'm starting to think that I should remain invisible 24/7 for events like these."

"We said we were sorry." Natsuki refuted, "Well, I did."

"Mmm..." The other 3 puffed their cheeks out and groaned at Natsuki who held a proud posture.

"Well, let's just enjoy the rest of the week. I don't think Mitchell has another match planned this week, but he said he might tomorrow. I'm not sure yet."

"Oh!" Sayori eyes widened and said, "I'd love to see another match!"

"He said he's trying to see if Jordan can get 2 more people for a tag team match."

"Ooo. A tag match." Sayori squealed and said, "I'd love to see that."

"But it might not happen." Tridon sighed and started to drive off, "On that note, what do you girls wanna do tomorrow? We'll be scouting today and we haven't had a day where we just spent the entire day at the festival together. What do you girls wanna do?"

"Hang out with you obviously." Monika responded, "But I think by tomorrow, we would've already been to all of the attractions at that point. So why don't we have an adventure tomorrow?"

"Uh..." Tridon though to himself and sharply breathed to say, "I don't know. I'll have to visit Tiff at some point to see if I can actually use it again. I've been having problems with my power ever since the whole Robert fiasco."

"You did go pretty far with your power that day." Natsuki commented, "I mean, you altered reality all around the world and even turned back time. I'm for sure that would lead to some sort of overheat on your power."

"We might have to leave the festival early today so that I can see Tiff about my power."

"Can we not go?"

"I don't think a group of high-schoolers should go to a secret base for the FBI. Just chill at my house until I get back everyone."

"Alright..."

At the festival, everyone had already split up leaving Monika and Tridon alone. Tridon looked around while Monika shied away from him.

_"Okay Monika. You're just scouting for new club members. You don't have to act love-struck and be a total airhead."_

"Hey Monika."

"Yes Tridon." Monika cooed while on the inside she yelled, _"You idiot! Don't sound seductive!"_

"Um, I think we should probably check the center of the festival. Yuri and Erica are checking near the left side of the parking lot while Sayori and Natsuki are looking near any of the food vendors." Tridon scratched the back of his head and added, "Our best bet would be to look at the center of all this."

"R-Right..." Tridon walked ahead while Monika slapped her head repeatedly, "Stupid. Stupid."

"Come on Monika. We have not time to waste."

"Right! Coming!

* * *

The two moved around the center of the festival and Monika felt nervous being alone around Tridon. She's been alone with him before, but after the noire adventure where _he_ voluntarily kissed made her a little more self-conscious when she's around him.

She doesn't want to do anything stupid that would seem odd for not only herself, but for the people around her. Take note that the rest of the student body still somewhat see her as a teenage goddess. Someone who can't fail at anything and is an unrivaled beauty. This is all despite her falling from number 1 to number 118.

"Hey Monika," Tridon started, "it's a little hot." Tridon breathed heavily and put his arms behind his head, "I hate that it's still hot even though it's fall already."

"Do you want something to cool down with?"

"I might get some lemonade. Just something refreshing should suffice." Tridon looked around and noticed a concession stand selling popcorn, lemonade, and other snacks, "I'll go get a cup. Would you like one?"

"Yeah. It is rather hot out here."

"No problem."

Monika watched Tridon walk over to the concession stand and just couldn't take her eyes off him. She sat at a nearby table and watched him endlessly. She was so distracted by Tridon that she didn't notice 2 other boys sit with her at the table.

"Hey Monika." One of the boys started.

She didn't answer while she continued staring at Tridon.

"Monika..."

"Shut it dude." The other boy interrupted, "She's distracted." The boy slammed his hand on the table, snapping Monika out of her trance, "There she goes."

"Uh. Who are you 2 and why are you sitting with me?"

"We were just wondering if you would like to hang out with us." The boy that slammed his hand responded, "You seem bored just being alone. So why not come hang out with us?"

"Sorry, but I'm actually here with somebody. But if you'd like, you're welcome to join our club."

"Club? That stupid Literature Club?"

"It's not stupid!" Monika refuted, "We have fun in it everyday!"

"Fun reading? Ha. You're more of a nerd than I thought. Actually, scratch that. You dropped down in class. So all you have for yourself is your hotness."

"What..." Monika was speechless. She was on top of the class and now she realizes that people only see her for what she is on the outside and not on the inside. She knew that high school could get this judgmental, but she was never at the end of this negative judge-like mentality, "I..." She just couldn't get a word because they're right.

She was seen as a beautiful genius, but what happens when you lose your top spot and become one of the bottoms? You're nothing but a pretty face in an ocean of obscurity and Monika was experiencing that.

"Hey!" Tridon called out while holding a cup of lemonade, "Are you two messing with my _girlfriend_."

Monika's eyes widened when she heard Tridon call her his girlfriend.

"You're Tridon?" One of them mumbled.

"Yeah and I don't appreciate the two of you messing with my girlfriend." Tridon walked over to Monika and held his hand out, "Come on babe. Let's get going before I stuff these kids in the trash."

"Yeah..." Monika slowly took her hand and stared at it as the two walked away.

Tridon and Monika eventually made it out of sight of the two boys and Tridon sighed, "Looks like you're an easy target because you dropped in the class."

"Tridon... you said I was your..."

"Don't get it twisted Monika." Tridon interrupted, "I only said that to throw those boys off-guard."

"Then why did you get one drink with two straws in it?"

"They only had enough cups for one more order at the time. I'm still need a refresher, so I said 'What the hell. Give me the single drink'. So there we go." Tridon handed the drink to Monika and smiled at him, "You can take the first bit of the drink. I'll take the last bit."

"But you look like you need it more."

"Please. I insist on you drinking from it first."

"Tridon," Monika held the drink up to Tridon's face and said, "you got two straws in the cup." Monika raised an eyebrow as Tridon it and chuckled, "Mhm?"

"I guess you got me there." He held the cup high enough for both of them to drink from it and the two smiled at one another, "There we go."

"Thank you Tridon."

They drunk from it and never broke eye-contact with one another. This was all while the other 4 watched them from a nearby bush.

"I always knew it was a bad idea to leave them alone." Sayori growled, "I should've went with him."

"Hasn't he always been able to figure out if you girls have spied on him or something?" Erica questioned, "You do know he has high awareness, right?"

"Well, we're pretty far from him." Yuri commented.

"I don't think being just a few feet away is _far_ Yuri." Natsuki refuted.

"So Monika," Tridon began, "I don't think we're going to find anyone to join the club. I just don't think people would be willing to join a Literature Club unless there was a legit incentive that didn't involve you or the other 4 girls."

"Excuse me." A female student shyly started.

"I just wish someone could just walk up to us and willingly want to sigh up."

"I'd like to join your Literature Club."

"But a guy can dream right."

Monika let out a loud sigh and rubbed her temples, "I swear, I really want to suplex you right now." She turned to the student and greeted her, "Hi there. You said you wanted to join the literature club, right?"

"Yes. I've heard rumors about some of your meetings and I thought it'd be nice to take part in them."

"That's great!" Monika exclaimed, "We've been looking to find some new members while at the festival. What's your name?"

"My name is Jenna or Jen if you'd like."

"It's nice to meet you Jen." Monika shook her had and nudged Tridon, "Come on Tridon."

"Well, I'm not the VP, but it's great to have a new friend in the club."

"Hehe..." Jen chuckled and blushed while shaking Tridon's hand. The world around the girls' shattered when they saw how Jen acted.

_"She has a crush on Tridon!"_ The girls mentally yell in unison.

* * *

An hour or so later, Tridon, Monika, and Jen met up with the other 4 girls who all practically stared between Jen and Tridon. Jen stood shyly next to Tridon while Tridon was practically clueless about everything that was going on.

"Well, we have a new member girls." Tridon started, "Her name is Jenna, or Jen if you prefer to call her that."

"Hi there..."

"You girls settle down here while I go meet Tiff about a certain thing." Tridon proceeded to walk off and took out his phone, but Sayori stopped him, "Huh? Sayori."

"Dude. I'm worried about you using your power too much."

"Ah pssh. I just have to see if I have enough to do an adventure."

"Tridon..."

"It's fine Sayori." Tridon rubbed Sayori's head and smiled at her, "So just chill okay? I'll take most of you home first." Tridon looked at Jen and asked, "Do you live near by any chance?"

"I do. Don't worry about needing to take me home. My mom is here in charge of one of the booths. So I'll be fine."

"Great." Tridon shot two thumbs up and added, "Our meetings are immediately after school. Just stop by the library Wednesday and both Sayori and I will take you to the classroom."

"Alright. So I'll see all of you Monday?"

"Yup." Tridon nodded, "Let's go girls."

* * *

After the girls were dropped off at his house, he quickly made his way to Tiffany's house in Erica's old neighborhood. Tridon looked around and sighed.

"I haven't seen this since that week." Tridon shook his head and stopped his car in front of a house. He honked twice before shutting off his car and stepping out of his car.

The door to the house opened and there stood Tiffany who wore yoga pants and a sports bra. Tridon chuckled at her as the two met face to face.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Was about to start my workout, but I guess you did say you were stopping by today."

"Yup. Just gotta know how much more of my power I can use."

"You know the drill."

"Got it." Tridon walked in and stretched a little before stripping down to his underwear, "Can you maybe find a way to do this without having me strip down to my briefs?"

"I've tried, but this is the only way. It's not like I can actively look for a way. Not unless you want me to reveal your power to my superiors."

"I understand." Tridon held his hand up and walked to a room that had a singular dentist chair, "So just lay down?"

"Yeah. I'll put the suctions on for you."

Tridon nodded and laid down on the dentist chair, "I think it's good that the girls aren't here. If they saw me and then saw you, they would think something would be wrong."

"Yeah. Plus, the last thing I want is for them to think that I'm some woman with the hots for a 17 year old boy."

"I'll be 18 soon though."

"I know, but still."

"Well, just get this underway so that I can get home. The last time I left them home, my laundry room became a bubble bath."

"Right."

* * *

Moments later, Tiffany walked around with a clipboard and nodded, "You seem to be fine. Nothing too extreme at the moment. Just to be safe, it's probably best not to have large adventures."

"Alright." Tridon sat up and shook his head, "I need to start working out again. I felt a little winded after my match yesterday."

"I watched videos of it today." Tiffany said after taking off the suctions on Tridon's body, "You were great, but please work on your spots. My heart jumped on that second outside dive."

"Sorry. The girls said the same thing." Tridon hopped off the chair and stared at Tiffany from behind.

"Keep staring at me and I'll stab those eyes."

"Sorry."

"You should probably head back to those girls."

"Yeah. Thanks again Tiffany."

"But hey, before you leave, do you wanna go workout sometime next week?"

"I can. Just call or text me next weekend and we'll work out."

"Cool. Also, I found Monika's test scores. Do you want them?"

"Probably. If she did drop on her own accord, then I'll have to help her get back up under 100. If this is Robert's doing, then I'll deal with him."

"From the looks of it, I think hanging out so much with the club and her love interest in you caused her grades to drop." Tiffany handed her Monika's test scores and added, "They're not extremely low, but I don't think she wants mid-low B's as her test scores."

"Right. I'll look over these with her tonight."

"Alright."

"Well, I'll see you later." Tridon waved her off and was about to leave but Tiffany cleared her throat loudly, "Huh?"

"Want me arrest now for public nudity or are you going to put your clothes back on?"

"Right." Tridon stepped out and immediately back into the room, "Better?"

"Better" Tiffany chuckled, "Now go."

"On it!"

* * *

Later that night, Tridon paced around his living room while looking at Monika's scores, "It looks like it's a mix of simple and difficult questions. That's not unordinary for an average student, but she's not the average student." Tridon sat on the couch and tossed the papers onto the coffee table, "What do I do?"

"Tridon?" Monika quietly called out from the stairs, "Are you down here?"

"Yeah." Tridon answered, "Why are you up?"

"I should be asking you that." Monika tip-toed her way to the couch and sat next to Tridon, "The others are knocked out, but I've had a hard time sleeping."

"Because of your scores?"

"Yeah."

Tridon put his arm around Monika and brought her closer to him, "I already said I would help you assess what you messed up on. Remember," Tridon looked down at Monika who looked up at him, "I'm here for you."

Monika shied down and snuggled into Tridon's chest, "Can I stay like this Tridon?"

"Yeah..."

"Thanks..." Monika took a moment to really take in Tridon's embrace and said, "Tridon, you know I love you, right?"

"You make it very obvious that you do."

"And I know for sure that you know the other girls love you too, right?"

"Yeah."

"We've decided to let you make the decision on who you want by the Winter Dance."

"That gives me around 2 and a half months."

"Yeah and we're okay with whoever you choose. We know you can't choose all of us and we'll respect whoever you choose. We don't have to like it, but we have to respect it."

"I understand." Tridon looked down at Monika and booped her nose, "Is this a way to earn some points with me?"

"Maybe..."

"You're so lucky an adorable girl."

"I'm so glad you're a great guy. Handsome and everything..."

"That's quite a lot coming from you." Tridon sighed and said, "I swear, I never once thought I'd be like this with you. Even if it's not as a couple. I never once thought I'd be cuddling with you Monika."

"Was your crush on me that strong?"

"Yeah. You were the only one that seemed to be the one that could replace Erica after our split, but that's obviously changed now."

"Well," Monika looked up at Tridon and booped him too, "I'm glad I could fulfill your dreams."

"Should we sleep now?"

"Yeah probably."

"Welp," Tridon stood up while carrying Monika bridal style, "I might as well take you upstairs in my arms."

"T-Tridon..."

"Just stay quiet when we go upstairs."

"Alright..." Monika hung on tight while trying to hide her blush from Tridon. Even so, she was taking in the moment as each moment passed.

_"I'll do my best to make you choose me."_ Monika thought to herself, _"I'm sorry girls, but this guy's heart will be mine for the Winter Dance. Just you girls wait."_


	22. A Small, Yet Interesting Adventure

Tridon woke up to Monika snuggling with him in his sleeping bag. He thought back to last night and was confused.

"She fell asleep in her own bag. Why is she in mine?"

"Mmm." Tridon looked up to see the other 4 glaring and puffing their cheeks out at him.

"Hm. I think I've had a good run, so I'll accept my fate."

"Good." Sayori cracked her knuckles and nodded to the other 4, "We'll take our time with your fate."

"Please not the face!" Tridon shouted.

* * *

Later that morning, the girls stared at Tridon who was tied to a chair with his shirt off and his mouth bounded. He looked up at the girls and shook his head.

"Do you think this was a little much?" Yuri questioned, "I mean, it wasn't even his fault."

"Mhm!" Tridon shouted while muffled.

"Yeah." Sayori agreed.

"All we did was poke him repeatedly." Natsuki sighed, "But one of us poked him a little too hard." Everyone turned to Erica who nervously laughed.

"What?"

Tridon spat out the cloth covering his mouth and shouted, "You poked me until I had bruises!" Tridon snapped his fingers while binded and he was no longer tied up, "I swear, how could you girls think that Monika," Tridon pointed over to Monika who was whistling and looking away, "didn't hop in my sleeping bag herself?"

"I'm sorry." Sayori started, "I just feel weird now that there are other girls you might choose. I don't know."

"Are you jealous?" Sayori quickly appeared behind Tridon and grabbed his shoulder, "Alright, I see. That was very concise..."

"So what are we gonna do?" Sayori questioned after handing Tridon a pair of shorts, "After he puts on a pair of shorts."

"Right." Tridon grabbed the shorts and put them on, "You girls didn't try and see anything right? I was blindfolded for most of that torture session."

"No." The girls quickly answered in unison.

"Whatever." Tridon sighed and asked, "So what kinda adventure are you girls looking at?"

"Well what did Tiffany say?" Natsuki asked, "What were your results?"

"She said nothing too big. Maybe something like Yuri's asylum adventure. Something within a closed space and doesn't go anywhere spectacular."

"I think I have something." Erica added, "A treasure hunting adventure." Erica walked over to her bag by the door and pulled out a packet of paper, "Remember. I handed this out earlier this week."

"Oh right." Tridon nodded and snapped his fingers. The spawned at the entrance of a large temple of some sort."

"Nice." Erica commented while looking around, "This isn't too big right? Because we're in the middle of a jungle."

"Go ahead and try and go past that bush right there." Tridon pointed over to a bush, but none of the girls wanted to, "Fine. I'll do it. Nothing was gonna happen-." Just as Tridon tried to pass the bush, he was launched back into the wall of the temple.

"That's why." Natsuki sighed and ran over to Tridon to help him up, "Come on idiot."

"Not gonna lie," Tridon supported himself on Natsuki and said, "that was kinda fun."

"Don't do it again." The girls all groaned in unison.

"I wasn't. Yet..."

"Anyway," Yuri interrupted, "I remember that once we enter, the temple doors will close behind us."

"Oh," Tridon reached into his bag and took out an unlit torch and a lighter, "we'll be ready in case it gets dark in there." He looked at the girls and asked, "Should I take the lead or?" They all nodded at him and he gave them a thumbs up, "Alright. Let's go girls!"

They all walked inside the temple and as planned, the temple door behind them slammed shut, locking them in. Tridon quickly lit the torch and looked around for the girls.

"Are we all here?"

"I think so." Sayori answered.

"Alright," Tridon walked a little forward and looked around, "so in the story, we should come across two paths eventually. Both lead to the same place, but one holds more danger than the other."

"We can't split up either because we only have one torch." Yuri added, "Any suggestions?"

"Maybe we could try and flip a coin?" Natsuki offered, "It's a 50/50 chance that we actually get the dangerous path."

"True." Tridon agreed, "We could just go in blindly, but we can leave it to luck. Or faith if you're into that."

"Let's try luck." Monika handed Tridon a coin and asked, "Can you do the honors?"

"Sure thing." Tridon twirled the coin on his fingers and asked Sayori, "Do you wanna see if I can land this perfectly on your hand?"

"Oh yeah." Sayori held her hand out and said, "Do it."

"Alright." Tridon flipped the coin and everyone watched it flip in the air. It barely landed on Sayori's arm who covered it, "What does it say?"

"Did we ever say which way was what?"

"We haven't seen them yet." Tridon responded, "So we should just use process of elimination."

"Alright." Sayori showed her hand and said, "Tails."

"Sweet." Tridon took the coin and handed it back to Monika while saying, "Let's keep going. I wanna see how this treasure looks when we actually see it."

* * *

Once they approached the paths, they noticed that the floors leading to the paths were very unstable and could collapse in. Tridon squat down and looked at the ground.

"This could collapsed after some of us cross it." He looked down at it and nodded, "I honestly don't know if this is going to end well or not."

"Who's gonna go first?" Erica questioned, "If we end up getting separated because of this floor, then we'll need to know who goes with who."

"Now before you girls fight over who _I_ go with," Tridon interrupted, "I say we draw straws to figure that out." Tridon reached into his bag and pulled out 4 sticks, "So two of these sticks are longer than the other two. The shorter sticks will determine who goes with me. The longer will go together first."

The girls quickly chose their sticks and 2 of them were rather sad while the other two were happy. The two happy girls were Sayori and Yuri. The other 3 were rather angry and pouting behind them.

"Well, you 3 go first. We'll follow suit in case something happens."

Erica and Natsuki pushed Monika ahead of them who sighed and walked forward. The two girls followed behind her and once they were in the passage, they looked back to the others.

"Alright," Tridon started, "you two girls ready?" They nodded and he took a deep breath, "Okay. Let's do this."

The three of them slowly trudged forward, ensuring they wouldn't cause anything to happen. Eventually, they made it to the passage safe and sound.

"Whoo..." Natsuki wiped her forehead and sighed in relief, "Oh man that wasn't too bad."

"Yeah." Tridon leaned on the wall and it pressed just slightly further into the wall, "Uh..." Everyone looked at Tridon wide-eyed who chuckled nervously, "Run!" Tridon ran ahead of the girls.

He sprinted far ahead of them until he came across a massive gap, "Hold up stop!" He yelled back, but it was too late. He was knocked forward into the large gap and the girls all yelled at him.

Tridon quickly ripped from his back a grappling hook and he grappled a stalactite. He swung a little before holding his hand out to the girls, "Grab on and I'll swing you one at a time to the other side! Hurry!"

Monika was the first to grab and be swung over to the other side. Then Yuri followed by Erica. Next Sayori and last Natsuki. However, in the middle of their swing, the stalactite lost it's strength as it broke mid-swing and sending both Tridon and Natsuki into a free fall.

"Tridon! Natsuki!" Sayori yelled.

Tridon grabbed Natsuki and placed his body towards the ground as the both of them collided with the ground.

* * *

Darkness...

Darkness was all Tridon could see. The faints calls of someone calling his name caused his eyes to flutter open. His vision was blurry for a short moment before it fixated on a teary-eyed Natsuki.

"Natsuki?"

"Oh my god..." Natsuki tackled Tridon for a hug and said, "I though you were really gone for real this time."

"How far did we fall?" Tridon asked before wincing.

"I don't know, but our only way back is caved in. I managed to pull you into this corridor before the rocks crushed us."

"Damn." Tridon breathed, "Maybe this is a sign that my powers are overheated." Tridon winced a little as he stood up and supported himself on a nearby wall, "I guess this adventure was bigger than we thought."

"I knew it wasn't a good idea to do this." Natsuki offered herself for Tridon to lean on, but Tridon refused, "Come on. Your leg is busted and you're barely able to stand. Just lean on me."

"But I..."

"You saved me and it's time I saved you." Natsuki forced Tridon to lean on her and said, "But don't get the wrong idea."

"Haha..." Tridon chuckled, "There's the Natsuki I know..."

* * *

After aimlessly wandering the rest of the cave, they came across a massive pedestal atop of an altar of some sort. It was surrounded by a rather small moat of water that looked to be only a few inches deep.

"Is that what we came here for?" Natsuki questioned, "It just looks like something valuable."

"It might be." Tridon looked around and pointed over to a nearby rock, "Lay me over there so we can take some time to rest and wait for the others."

"Alright." Natsuki helped Tridon over to the discarded piece of rock. Natsuki sat near him while Tridon took some deep breaths while grabbing his ribs, "Are your ribs hurting?"

"Yeah. The pain is starting to set in now..." Tridon closed and tilted his head back, "Haha. I didn't think this is what would come from being in the Literature Club. I thought it would be like when I taught all of you how to write haikus properly. Geez, this is far from that..."

"But it hasn't been boring." Natsuki retorted, "In fact, it's brought us together. Before you joined, nobody in the club talked or even acknowledged each other. Now, it's like we all rely on each other so much and we've all become best friends."

"Really? Ha. I guess I did." Tridon winced as he fixed himself, "I don't know. I still just don't feel like I do anything. Yeah I make these world's but it's the rest of you that actually _make_ it. Do you understand what I'm putting down?"

"Tridon," Natsuki crawled over to Tridon and leaned her head on his shoulder, "Erica told us you sorta have a inferiority complex."

"Huh?"

"Well, you always second-guess yourself. You don't think highly of your own actions and you just lack self-esteem. When in reality, you're one of the greatest people we've all met. Not to mention your boisterous personality. You have nothing to feel inferior about."

"But I..."

"You're athletic, handsome, and a great writer. We can't forget that you know what to do and say. Like protecting me from those bullies and that bully's boyfriend."

"I mean I guess..."

"Tridon," Natsuki stared Tridon in his eyes and said, "you're more than what you think you are. You're an amazing person and don't let anyone or yourself tell you otherwise."

Tridon looked down and slowly stood up, "Natsuki," he looked down at her and with determination, "let's go get that treasure." Tridon snapped and he was practically brand new.

"Haha..." Natsuki jumped and smiled brightly, "Let's do this!"

"Alright." Tridon clapped his hands together and pointed at holes in the wall, "Once we step onto that altar, water will begin to pour gradually from those holes. We have to get that treasure and get to that hole at the top there." Tridon pointed over to an expose part of the roof and looked at Natsuki, "Are ya' ready?"

"Let's go!"

The two of them jumped down and as Tridon predicted, water began to fill the room and the two sprinted up the altar. However, they underestimated the height of the pedestal.

"We gotta do this together." Tridon held out his hands and Natsuki took it, "We climb it together. Sync your climbing with mine." Tridon jumped high onto the pedestal and he looked down at Natsuki.

She jumped up, with the assistance of Tridon, and met him where he was.

"Climb." Tridon exclaimed.

The two of them climbed while the water began to rise around them. The two eventually got to the top of the pedestal. Tridon and Natsuki looked down at the treasure and smiled at one another.

It was a golden chalice and the two picked it up together and held it up high. The water stopped filling just as it reached the altar. They both sighed in relief and hugged one another. During their embrace, they heard the sounds of a helicopter blade above them.

Just outside the hole in the temple roof were the other girls who were in a helicopter, "Whoop!" Sayori imitated a siren and waved at them, "We have found out two lost friends and the treasure. Moving in to extract!"

"Hahaha!" Tridon laughed and waved at them just as Monika dropped the rope ladder down to them, "You first."

Tridon helped Natsuki get onto the rope ladder and later joined her. Once the two got on the helicopter, the setting changed around them to where they were all in Tridon's bedroom.

"Whoo!" Sayori cheered, "That was fun!"

"Yeah." Monika sighed in relief and leaned back, "I thought we were gone for sure."

"Wasn't that exciting?" Erica asked, "I worked on that 2 years ago, but I could never figure out a way to progress it."

"Well there ya' go." Tridon laughed, "You have the perfect way to progress it."

"I'm just glad you're both safe." Yuri sighed in relief and hugged Tridon and Natsuki, "We were so worried when you two fell."

"We're fine Yuri." Natsuki reassured Yuri and sighed, "It was fun, but tiring..."

"Well," Tridon stood up and stretched, "How about I go prepare us a great dinner and we can finally have some rest?"

"Whoo!" Sayori cheered, "More of your cooking!"

"Sayori, I'm making you a salad." Monika interrupted.

"Ah! No Monika! I need his food!"

"Hahaha!" Everyone laughed while Sayori held a pout, but joined them in laughing too.

In the distance, looking at the house through high-powered binoculars from his tower was Robert who smirked at him, "Don't think I forgot about this Tridon." He looked over to a large screen that showed Tridon's picture with the girls after his wrestling match. It zoomed in on each girl one by one while Robert cackled, "I know exactly how to hurt you and I'll do it by destroying the lives of them one by one..." Robert laughed devilishly while the screen switched to separate profiles of each girl, "I will destroy them and mentally destroy you Tridon! Just you wait! Ahahahaha!"


	23. A Date With My Childhood Best Friend

That next day after the Natsuki, Yuri, and Erica were dropped off by Tridon, Sayori and Tridon looked at one another and just stared at each other.

"Did we ever plan on what we were gonna do today?" Tridon asked, "Have we?"

"No. I don't think so."

"Then what do we do then?" 

"Why don't you two have a day out?" Monika offered, "The last time I saw you two out was a month ago."

"She's right Tridon. We haven't been to that arcade since then."

"Oh heck yeah you're right, but Monika," Tridon looked at her from his rear view mirror and said, "what about you? I can't leave you alone at my house."

"Tridon, I'll be fine. My mom said that it would be fine if I stayed at your house to help me study."

"Alright. Do you need anything from your house? Clothes or anything?"

"Maybe, but Sayori," Monika looked over to Sayori and said, "you get my undergarments please. I don't trust him."

"What?!" Tridon shouted, "What are you on about?"

"Don't worry Monika. I'll make sure this pervert doesn't do anything with your undergarments."

"I don't know how you two see me, but I've made it clear that I'm not a pervert." Tridon sighed and stopped back at his house, "Alright Monika. I put some practice tests and quizzes over in my room. If you want to look at them, they're in there."

"Alright. Have fun you two." Monika waved them off and made her way back into Tridon's house.

"I thought I could trust you Sayori." Tridon sniffed, "I thought you were my best childhood friend."

"I'm sorry, but knowing your early crush on her, this would seem like a dream to you." Sayori chuckled and added, "Luckily, I'm next door just in case you try something."

"Me? Are you sure Monika won't try anything?"

"Yeah you're right..."

"Whatever. We'll get her clothes and stuff before we head back home, 'kay?"

"Yeah alright." Sayori nodded and looked out the window, "So what are we doing before that?"

"I don't know. I guess the arcade is our perfect place. It's always been."

"Oh!" Sayori exclaimed, "Did you know that Randy added a small bowling lane?"

"Really?" Tridon balled his fist in and out and chuckled, "Wanna bowl?"

"If I win, you have to cook me lunch for the rest of the school year."

"And if I win, you have to finally exercise."

"Ah!" Sayori gasped, but instantly smirked at Tridon, "You're so on."

* * *

Later at The Capercade Arcade, the two rushed in and saw the two bowling lanes near the back. Randy noticed them and smiled.

"There's my two favorite customers are." Randy started, "I see it that you two heard the news of my newly installed bowling lanes."

"Yup!" The two respond in unison.

"Well, nobody are on the two lanes. Do you two wanna be the _first_ to try it out?"

"The first?" Tridon questioned, "Nobody's played on it yet?"

"Nah. I just opened it today."

"Sweet!" Sayori cheer, "You're about to get clobbered Pierce!"

"Oh yeah? Well, you're about to uh... lose?" Tridon sighed and said, "I'm not good at this trash talking thing..."

"Well, you two go right ahead."

The two ran off to the bowling lanes and the two stared at the lane's slick, new flooring.

"Man, it's so crisp." Tridon commented, "Now this is awesome."

"Yeah. A perfect place to crush you dude."

"Pssh." Tridon scoffed and said, "I will win..."

"That's it?"

"Yeah. I just said I wasn't good at this trash talking thing..."

"Try again. Let me start." Sayori cleared her throat and said, "You're about to be grinded to dust Tridon!"

Tridon tapped his temples and said, "I think you're just... kinda okay?" The two paused before laughing at each other, "Man. I suck at this."

"Let's hope you don't suck at this either." Sayori picked up one of the bowling balls and did a quick spin, "For my first lunch, I'd like some chicken tempura with some fried rice." Sayori released the ball and it spun with ferocity earning her an easy strike.

"Huh?" Tridon's eyes widened as Sayori walked up to him.

"Oh and I want it to be special." Sayori booped him on his nose and Tridon sighed, "Your turn Pierce."

"Oh lord..." Tridon took a deep breath before rolling the ball and only managed to knock down 7 pins.

"Ooo. Only 7 pins." Sayori teased, "That's good, but it's not a strike." Sayori smirked and said, "I was thinking that maybe you make me lunch everyday. Even when we're not at school."

Tridon sighed deeply and took his ball as it came back to them, "This is gonna be a long game..."

* * *

30 minutes passed and the two were on the last frame. Sayori hit her last roll and managed a score of 146. Tridon stared at his last ever roll, managing to knock 6 pins down. All he needs to do is manage a spare and hit anything higher than one pin during his extra frame in order to beat Sayori.

Sayori was rather nervous as Tridon was able to catch back up after hitting 2 straight strikes in the last few frames. She bit her nails as Tridon eyed the pins. The set up for him was perfect. They were all on the right and Tridon knew he could hit a spare.

He breathed heavily before taking his few steps very slowly. **VERY SLOWLY**.

Sayori held a straight face and asked, "Tridon what are you doing?"

Tridon froze as he was about to roll the ball and turned around to Sayori, "Just going for dramatic effect. Sorry. I'll go again." Tridon backed up and ran up to roll the ball.

The ball moved down the lane quickly, "Just 4 pins." Tridon breathed, "Just 4 pins!" He finally yelled. The ball collided with the pins and the air was tense as only 3 of the 4 pins fell. Tridon's eyes widened as he fell to his knees in defeat.

"Haha!" Sayori jumped up and laughed in relief, "Whoo!" She cheered, "I am the Queen Of Bowling!" She yelled. She looked down at Tridon and sighed, "I'm so sorry." Sayori pat Tridon on his back and chuckled, "But you owe me some lunches for the rest of the school year."

"Alright." Tridon solemnly agreed, "What are the odds of this. I was so close, but that one pin." Tridon sighed as Sayori helped him up, "We managed to kill 30 minutes." Tridon looked at his clock and nodded, "Wanna just spend some time gaming?"

"Obviously." Sayori answered, "It _is_ an arcade."

"Alright. Let's game!"

* * *

After gaming for a few hours, Tridon and Sayori walked out and stretched.

"That was fun." Sayori gleefully commented, "What now?" Just as Sayori said that, her stomach growled, "Uh..."

"What was that?" Tridon asked.

"It was the construction."

"What construction?" Tridon laughed and put his arm around Sayori and said, "How about I start today and buy you a meal?"

"Oh heck yeah!" Sayori cheered. She wrapped her arm around Tridon's and asked, "So where are we gonna go?"

"Well," Tridon started, "we usually go to the same places. So why not go somewhere different?"

"I think there's a new restaurant not far from here." Sayori replied, "Wanna go somewhere there?"

"Sure."

* * *

Moments later, they arrived to a normal, american restaurant and waited to be seated.

"I heard this place was pretty good." Sayori commented, "I can't wait to order 80 dollars worth of food!"

"How about one meal that'll fill you up Sayori." Tridon chuckled as the two were met with a certain pink-haired individual. Tridon looked down and was about to say something, but his mouth was covered by the individual.

"If you say anything, I will dump you in our fish tank." Natsuki glared up at Tridon who nodded quickly, "Anyway, is it just the two of you?"

"Yeah." Sayori answered, "Monika is back home while we have, normally, our weekly day out."

"Well, anywhere you two particularly want to be?"

"A booth would be nice." Tridon responded, "But whatever is available would work."

"Alright follow me you two." Natsuki lead them through the restaurant while she held the menus close to her body and a light blush rushing to her face, "Here you two go."

"Thanks Natsuki." Tridon thanked Natsuki as he sat down, but he noticed something on her. He looked closer and asked, "Did you get earrings?"

"Y-You noticed?"

"Yeah."

Natsuki responded while covering one of her ears saying, "They're not huge, but I think they look nice."

"Same here Natsuki." Tridon warmly smiled at Natsuki and added, "I think they make you look pretty."

"A-Ah..." She stuttered before running off and covering her face.

"Huh. Never seen her act like that." After Tridon said this, Sayori dug her heel into Tridon's foot, "Ow!"

"Do you not think about what you say?"

"What? Am I not suppose to notice her changes and compliment them if they look nice?"

"I..." Sayori was about to respond, but stopped herself, "Ah geez." Sayori rested her chin on her hand and sighed, "I hate when you're nonchalant when it comes to being a charming person."

"Uh... 'kay?"

* * *

After they had ordered their food, Tridon looked at his hands and towards Sayori's, "We should probably wash our hands after touching those bowling balls and arcade machines."

"Yeah. You're right." The both of them stood up and walked over to the bathroom.

Sayori washed her hands, but paused when she turned off the water. She stared at her hands and then to herself in the mirror.

"Damn it she muttered to herself. I don't really care if he chooses me or not." She pressed her hands on the mirror and asked herself, "Then why do you care when he compliments the others?" She sighed and stared at herself, "No matter what happens, you still have to support him. He's your best childhood friend."

* * *

Eventually, she walked out of the bathroom and sat down, but Tridon wasn't there. She sighed and rested her head on her hand.

"What's taking that guy so long? Unless he had to use it..." Sayori noticed 2 boys walking over to her and she sighed, "Oh come on..."

Before they could even get to her, Tridon walked through between them and walked over to Sayori with a smile on his face.

"Hey there Sayori." Tridon sat across from and said, "I'm sorry for making you wait. Had to clean my insides."

"Oh uh... it was no wait..."

The boys grew saddened and walked away before even getting to her table.

Tridon scoffed at them and commented, "I swear. Some boys think they can get some pretty girl just by walking up to them. What happened to at least getting to know the girl before getting them into bed. I'd like to at least know who I'm doing before I actually do them."

"T-Tridon..."

"Right sorry."

* * *

After finishing their meals and waiting for the check, Sayori was slumped in her chair while grabbing her slightly bloated belly. Tridon laughed at her as he sipped on his drink.

"Now that was some good food."

"You need to control your eating." Tridon took out his wallet and sighed, "You're really making me pay a hefty penny Sayori." He took out a 50 and looked over to her. He slowly stood up and poked her belly causing her to laugh.

"Don't do that." She laughed, "If you do, I'll probably throw up." But then her eyes hot open, "Which will empty me out allowing me to eat more!"

"Oh please no. That's disgusting." Tridon stood up and turned to Sayori, "Walking will help you digest your food."

"Yeah you're right." She held her hands up and said, "Pick me up."

"No."

"Aw man..."

The two walked over to the cashier and Tridon paid for their meal. Once he got the change, Natsuki stopped them.

"Before you two go, take this home." She handed them two small to-go containers, "They're some cupcakes I made yesterday. I know for sure Sayori wants them, but I'm sure when you have a cheat day coming up Tridon, you can eat it too."

"Wow!" Sayori exclaimed, "I think I'll eat it now!"

"No." Tridon took Sayori's box and held it for her, "Wait until you've actually digested your food."

"Oh fine..."

"By the way," Natsuki interrupted, "I already told Monika, but I'll be missing Monday's club meeting."

"Really? Why?"

"Baking competition downtown." Natsuki looked over to Tridon and asked, "Mind helping me again Tridon?"

"With your baking?"

"Yeah. Last time went well and everyone liked our baked goods, so why don't we try at it again. Only this time, it's gotta be something bigger. Like huge!"

"Uh. Tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Cool." Tridon asked, "What time do you want me to stop by?"

"Early again. We need the whole day to gameplan and to execute that plan."

"Alright. I'll stop by around 8." The two waved Natsuki off while Natsuki smiled warmly at Tridon as he walked off with Sayori.

One of the co-workers cooed and said, "Aw, is that your boyfriend?"

"N-No!" Natsuki huffed and walked off. She blushed and muttered, "Not yet anyway..."

* * *

A few moments later, the two walked around Monika's house and were rather surprised.

"We've never seen her house before." Tridon commented, "But this house is insane."

"It's bigger than yours and it has a pool in the back!" Sayori stared outside and salivated at the pool, "Having a pool party would be awesome..."

"But it's Fall now."

"But it's still hot and humid." Sayori commented, "Why don't we have a pool party this next weekend?"

"And if it gets cold or rains?"

"We'll figure it out."

"Alright. We'll talk about it when everyone is at the next meeting." Tridon tapped his chin and nodded, "I actually think it would be a good idea since we have a new member."

"Oh right. Jen. Yeah. It'll let her ease into the club."

"Exactly, but for now, let's get Monika's clothes and head on home. It's getting pretty late."

"Yeah."

* * *

After gathering Monika's clothes, they hopped in Tridon's car and drove off. However, Tridon drove past their houses.

"Dude, you missed our houses."

"I know, but I wanna spend a little more time out."

"Okay?"

The two eventually arrived at Tridon's chill spot and the two hopped out and took in the nightly breeze. The moon sun inched just barely above the pond and reflected perfectly off of it.

"Do you still come here a lot on your own?" Sayori, "Especially after the whole incident thing?"

"I make it an effort to come here to just clear my mind. Even if I'm not stressed or anything, I come here to do a lot of thinking."

"What do you think about?"

Tridon paused and sat underneath his tree. He picked up a rock and threw it into the pond. He sighed and answered, "I think about who I'm going to choose for the Winter Dance. It'll be one of the hardest decisions I'll ever have to make."

"Who you choose is someone you'll be sticking with for the rest of your life."

"And one of them is you." Tridon groaned and punched the tree behind him, "Damn it. I don't know what to do Sayori."

"You have until the dance, right?" Sayori asked earning a nod from Tridon, "Then don't stress yourself out from it. To be honest, I don't know how to feel. I still see you as my best childhood friend, but part of me sees you as a boyfriend and a possible husband. Haha..."

"I don't know how to even feel about you. I love and care for you. Both as a friend and a lover. So my mind is just confused right now."

"Hey dude," Sayori sat next to Tridon and leaned her head on his shoulder, "the stuff we do now shouldn't change just because of something like that. We're still the best of friends. We're still going to the same college and we're still going to be there for each other until we die."

Tridon didn't say anything as he looked at Sayori who looked up at him. She smiled warmly at him and Tridon smiled warmly back.

"Hey dude." Sayori commented, "The sunset."

"Should we count it down?"

"Yeah. 5..."

"4..."

"3..."

"2..."

And together, "1!"

The sun finally set while it's rays still shined over the horizon.

"We should probably get going." Sayori started, "Monika's probably gonna have a heart attack to not see you home yet."

"Right..." Even as they said this, they still remained seated under the tree. Tridon started saying, "Thank you Sayori. For always being there for me."

"No problem. What are friends for?"


	24. All My Fault...

That next day, Tridon finished up Monika's breakfast just before 7:30. He wrapped it up and put a note on it. He yawned and stretched before leaving the house.

"I wonder what she has planned for us to make." Tridon wondered while driving to Natsuki's house, "I just hope we don't make a mess again. I had dough in all sorts of places after last time. I think I still have some dough in me." Tridon slapped his head as a plump of dough fell out of his head, "Hm. I wonder why that hasn't hardened yet."

Tridon eventually arrived at Natsuki's house and walked up to her door after getting out of his car. He knocked and waited.

The door flew open to a very happy and excited Natsuki.

"Hey Natsuki." Tridon greeted, "Quite a lot of energy for it being this early in the morning."

"I've been up all night with coffee and energy drinks in order to plan out the day!" Natsuki spoke fast and sporadically. Her eyes were wide and she couldn't stay still, "So come on! Let's get to work!"

"And your dad?" Tridon asked.

* * *

In the backyard, Natsuki's dad sat outside and was drinking some tea. He sighed and said, "Once again, my daughter is able to have a good relationship with someone else of the opposite sex. Sometimes, I need some time away from an environment that is just so demeaning and downright awful." He sighed once more to add, "Talking to myself. Again..."

"Okay." Tridon started, "What do you have planned?" Tridon turned around to Natsuki to see her face first on the ground, "Great..."

A few moments later, Tridon handed Natsuki a glass of water with some painkillers. He patted her back as she took the painkillers.

"Maybe don't make yourself crash by drinking a lot of caffeine."

"Sorry," Natsuki started, "I just wanted to be prepared today."

"I think it's more fun if we both plan this out. Remember last time?"

"How could I forget." Natsuki laughed as she flicked some flour off his head, "How is that still there?"

"I swear. Flour is showing up in different places everyday." Tridon rubbed Natsuki's back and asked, "Getting better?"

"Yeah." She responded, "Your touch is very soft. It's soothing..."

"Sayori and my sister would vouch for that. Sayori used to get stomach aches all the time. I think it's quite obvious why, but my sister one time had an upset stomach after eating some bad food and I was there for when she needed me."

"You're like a housewife."

"So a househusband, right?"

"Pretty much."

Tridon smiled and pat her once more before standing up, "So your plans here," Tridon looked at the work Natsuki had done and nodded, "we're going to be trying this thing." Tridon held up a deflated pile of dough and asked, "Is this one of the experiments?"

"Yeah, but it was the first one. The others are either in the trash or I'm saving to give to Sayori on our Tuesday meeting."

"Nice. But maybe have her control how much she eats. She called me late last night saying her stomach was hurting."

"She did eat a lot yesterday."

"Yeah."

"Well, no use wasting time. We have a lot of experimenting, flour, and dough to go through today. Once your head is better, we'll need to get to work. I'm sure we have a long day ahead of us."

"Right."

* * *

A few moments later, Natsuki walked over to the kitchen while holding a tablet, "I've contemplated on whether or not we should focus on taste or design. There's gonna be quite a few people with delicious pastries and others with elaborate designs."

"Hm. Why not do both?"

"We don't have time to do both. We're on a limited time frame for today only."

"Right."

Natsuki walked over to her fridge and took out a baking sheet, "I was thinking we do something similar to our cupcakes since those were a big hit at the bake sale. However, I want them to have a little 'hmph' to it."

"Hmph?"

"You know. Something special to make it better."

"Shouldn't we focus more on taste?" Tridon suggested, "I feel that if we focus more on the taste then we would be able to win just through a delicious good as is."

"You could be right, but it's times like this where people care more about how something looks rather than what's on the inside."

"Am I sensing something else here?"

"Don't look too much into it." Natsuki growled, "I just..."

"Natsuki, are you feeling something wrong with your looks? Namely your size." Tridon felt Natsuki grab his shirt fiercely, but instantly let go, "Uh..."

"N-No. I don't care about that kinda stuff..."

"Natsuki," Tridon smirked at Natsuki who turned away from him, "is it because you like manga?"

"Huh?"

"I know some people think they can't get a boyfriend or girlfriend just because they like anime and manga. But that's stupid. In fact, I think it's awesome that people like manga and anime. Even the ones that have a limited taste."

"So even someone like me?"

"What do you mean? I like your tastes. There's nothing wrong with your tastes at all."

"But I've seen your manga collection. It's a lot more vivid than mine. You seem to have more genres rather than mine of magical girls or fantasy titles."

"Oh come on. I love fantasy anime. Magical girls is a genre I don't dabble too much in, but I think they're good if executed well."

"But I..."

"Look, people who don't like anime is pretty common. Don't worry about it. If they don't like you because of that, then it's their loss."

Natsuki smiled and turned away from Tridon, _"That's not what I was even referencing."_ Natsuki's expression changed as she looked at her body, _"It's something way more embarrassing."_

"Anyway, let's get to work!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

After nearly 8 hours of endless baking and fails, the two had finally concocted the perfect cookies. The both of them slumped down onto her couch and sighed in relief.

"We probably should've went with cookies." Tridon commented.

"Yeah." Natsuki agreed, "The cookies were good, but these cupcakes are awesome!"

"Alright you two, it's getting late." Natsuki's father interrupted, "It's best you two get cleaned and you know, get ready to rest."

"I'll drive on home and get cleaned there."

"Dude," Natsuki stopped Tridon and added, "go ahead and get cleaned here. Did you not bring any extra clothes."

"Well, not this time. I didn't bring my gym bag. That's back at home."

"Oh..."

"But hey, if you need a ride to the event tomorrow, I'm your guy."

"Really? My dad was going to take me, but it'll be awesome if you take me."

"What do you think Mr. Natsuki's Dad?" Tridon asked, "I took her to the bake sale earlier this month. How's about I take her to the competition?"

"Well, if it's alright with her, it'll be alright with me. Just be safe out there you two."

"I promise," Tridon started, "if anyone even tries to mess with my little gumdrop here," Tridon put his arm around Natsuki and said, "I'll send them to the hospital with a cupcake down their throat."

"Let's try and keep that to a minimum, okay?" Natsuki's Dad pleaded.

"Alright." Tridon looked down at Natsuki who shied away from him, "Anyway, I should probably get going now. I'm suppose to make dinner for Monika since she still can't all too well..."

* * *

That night while Tridon and Sayori were still out, Tridon arrived to see smoke looming from his house. He looked at Sayori who stared at the smoke from his house. She sprinted over just as Tridon kicked his door down.

He ran inside to see Monika surrounded in smoke with a fire extinguisher in hand.

"I didn't know I had a fire extinguisher." Tridon commented before yelling, "But Monika!"

"I'm sorry!"

Tridon shook his head and said, "I'm glad I could fix it."

"Well you should probably go." Natsuki chuckled, "The last thing we want is for the both of you to be homeless."

"Right. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, just meet me after school and we'll head back here to pick up our cookies."

"Sweet. C'ya Natsuki." Tridon waved her off and made his way into his car.

"So Natsuki, when are you thinking about asking him out?"

"D-Dad!" Natsuki shouted, "I..." Natsuki held her head low and said, "He'll make his choice at the Winter Dance." Natsuki walked towards her room and said, "I'm gonna need some time to myself dad."

"Okay?"

* * *

That next day, Tridon waited at the school entrance and yawned. He stretched and looked around.

He checked his watch and said, "Where is she?" Tridon closed his eyes and wondered, "Wait. Bullies..." Tridon quickly turned around and walked quickly back into the school.

He eventually confronted Natsuki being surrounded by the same girls who tried to bully her at the bake sale.

Tridon sighed and walked forward, but stopped when he saw the guy he fought before behind the group. The two stared at each other and Tridon shook his head.

"You can't be serious." Tridon walked forward and said, "Are your lives that boring that you have to pick on her?"

"Oh shut up." The boyfriend retorted, "This is payback for what happened last time!"

"Did you really take weeks to plan this 'payback' on me or Natsuki?" Tridon sighed and walked a little bit forward, "So please, what is your super elaborate plan?"

"We uh..."

"Are you gonna use the cameras as leverage because looks like there aren't any." Tridon looked around and there weren't any security cameras, "Which means I can beat you senseless." Tridon cracked his knuckles before looming over the man.

* * *

A few moments later, Tridon wiped his hands as he walked away from the guy who was headfirst in a garbage can. He turned to the girls who were all several feet away and cowering behind one another. Tridon walked over to Natsuki who held her bag tightly.

"Hey there Natsuki." He held his hand out and said, "Let's get going."

"Y-Yeah..." Natsuki took his hand and the two walked out of the school and made their way to the baking competition.

The two remained silent during the drive until Natsuki quickly said, "Tridon wait." Tridon slowly brought the car to a halt and he didn't look at her, "I uh..."

"You brought the cupcakes we baked to school and they probably squished them, right?"

"Yeah..." Tridon sighed and looked down, "I'm sorry..."

"It's no problem." He took her bag and looked at it, "They might not be perfect for the bake sale, but they're perfect for us right now." He reached into her bag and pulled out the crushed cookies, "It's not my cheat day, but that doesn't mean I can't have a treat every once and a while."

Before Tridon could put the cupcake in his mouth, Natsuki stopped him.

"No. Don't ruin your diet dude."

"Aw man. I thought I could cheat it for once."

"Sorry, but I feel like I need to thank you again for standing up for me."

"It's honestly no problem." Tridon started, "I've said that if you ever need me, I'll always be there for you and the others. I care about all of you."

"Geez man." Natsuki blushed as she hugged her knees, "You make it hard to keep my tough girl persona."

"Uh, okay? You should probably put your feet back on the floor." Tridon sighed and said, "I don't know what we're gonna do then. We aren't going to the baking competition. What do we do?"

"Can we head to your hangout spot?"

"Sure."

* * *

After a short drive, the two relaxed under the tree and looked at the pond. The two didn't say a word. They just took in the nature around them.

"Tridon," Natsuki started, "have you ever thought about swimming in this pond?"

"I have a few times with Sayori, but that was maybe 5 or 6 years ago. It's been a minute."

"Do you think everyone could come here to have a swim day?"

"In the middle of October?"

"It's still pretty warm and I don't see storm clouds in the forecast. I think a swim day would be fine with everyone."

"Maybe. Sayori and I were talking about taking a dip in Monika's pool, but I think a more open place like this pond here would be better. So let's discuss it with them tomorrow."

"Hey can I," Natsuki slowly laid down on Tridon's lap and said, "take a nap? I was having a hard time thinking about the bake sale and... other things that it was hard for me to sleep. I need a rest."

"Sure thing. I'll wake you up when we're ready to go." Tridon stared at the pond and his eyes fell heavy, "Well, I guess I can take a nap too." Tridon's eyes fell shut and he went to sleep too.

* * *

An hour or two later, Natsuki's eyes fluttered open and she sat up, but hit her head on Tridon's chin. She moved aside and saw that Tridon was still asleep.

"He's asleep." Natsuki softly mumbled, "Hehe..." Natsuki snickered.

She slowly sat on her knees and caressed Tridon's hair, "You're adorable." She looked around and nodded, "It's now or never." Natsuki slowly inched forward and started to pucker her lips.

Tridon's eyes slowly fluttered open just as Natsuki was mere inches away from his lips. However, her eyes were closed and was inching closer.

Tridon held in his chuckle as he closed his eyes again to act as if he was sleeping.

Natsuki eventually performed the weirdest kiss ever by placing her puckered lips on his lips. However, her cheeks were puffed out the entire time as she kissed him.

It was at this point that Tridon couldn't hold in his laughter. He burst out laughing, startling Natsuki.

"Y-You were awake?!"

"Yup. Well not for most of it. I only woke up when you were just barely inches from my face." Tridon wiped a tear from his eyes and said, "You haven't really kissed anyone have you?"

"No. Of course not."

"Haha..."

"It's not funny dude." Natsuki socked Tridon in his chest and said, "I've never had a boyfriend. It's kinda obvious that I wouldn't have one."

"Uh..." Tridon paused and leaned towards Natsuki, "No mouth to mouth kisses." Tridon quickly said before giving Natsuki a light peck on her cheek, "So is that enough?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Now come on." Tridon stood up and stretched, "It's best we get home now." He held his hand out like before and asked, "Why don't you sleepover at my house? You're house is pretty far and I don't want to waste gas. So how goes it?"

"Y-Yeah!"

And with that, the two make their way back to Tridon's house.

* * *

-Epilogue-

Monika sat at the counter with her arms cross, cheeks puffed out, and puffs of smoke shooting out of her head. Tridon ate his food periodically while Natsuki stared at Monika.

Tridon sighed and grabbed a nearby magazine. He rolled it up and lightly tapped Monika's head with it.

"Stop that Monika."

"But Tridon!"

"No Monika..."

"Mmm..."

"Uh," Natsuki started, "mind if I help wash the dishes."

"No. You just head off to bed. I'll have Ms. Pouty here help me with dishes."

"Okay..." Natsuki slowly made her way back upstairs while Tridon looked at Monika.

"Monika..." Tridon groaned, "She's our friend...."

"I know, but I'm just..." Monika sighed and stood up, "A little worried about Natsuki now."

"Yeah?"

"She's been getting bullied by these girls for quite a while. Today was bad now that they know you're there to protect her."

"Yeah. That leader's boyfriend isn't too much of a threat though."

"Still. He might have more people to help him while those girls mess with Natsuki."

"Nothing my power won't be able to handle."

"Tridon, please don't use your power to do anything bad, okay?"

"I'll only do what's necessary. Now," Tridon tossed Monika a sponge and said, "I'll rinse, you scrub."

"Alright."

On the stairs, Natsuki was listening in before trudging her way back upstairs...


	25. The New Member's Submission

That Tuesday, Tridon arrived to the clubroom to see Monika, Erica, and Jen alone in the classroom.

"Where are the other 3?"

"Sayori told you where she would be." Monika answered.

"Oh right. Studying with Yuri. But what about Natsuki?"

"She should be here soon."

"Alright." Tridon took a seat next to Erica and looked over to Jen, "So uh," Tridon started, "how was she yesterday?"

"Pretty good. Still, yesterday was pretty boring."

"How come?"

"Do I really need to spell it out for you?"

"Nah." Tridon laughed, "Today will be different though!" Tridon slammed his hands onto the table and stood up, "We will have the most fun ever today!"

"Tridon..." Monika interrupted while pointing over to Jen who was cowering behind her bag, "You startled her."

"Oh... sorry Jen."

"You startled me too." Natsuki added as she walked into the club, "I heard you from down the hall. Tone it down dude."

"Right..." Tridon cleared his throat and said, "We have your adventure-maker back today and our new member here hasn't experienced one of our awesome adventures."

"Right. I..." Monika tried to start, but Jen raised her hand before she could, "Yes Jen?"

"I have a story submission." She stood up and handed it over to Tridon, "I've heard things get crazy when you lot go over a submission."

"Hm." Tridon quickly read it over and nodded, "Cool! Got it!" Tridon snapped his fingers and they were standing on a tall skyscraper.

The girls looked around while Tridon remained standing where he was with sweat trickling down his neck.

"Sweet." Monike commented, "What is this exactly?" Everyone turned to Tridon who looked colorless, "Tridon?"

"Yeah uh," he started, "after our whole SWAT thing; I've kinda grew a fear of tall buildings. Like skyscrapers." Tridon crouched into a ball and laid on the ground, "Just leave me here..."

"No." Erica picked Tridon up and said, "We're sticking together. Plus," she turned to Jen who was looking around in shock, "our new member is a little confused right now."

"Right." Tridon slowly shuffled his way to Jen and said, "Hey Jen. How you holding?"

"A little shocked and scared..."

"Yeah. This is what I can do. I can alter reality on a whim. It's how I create scenarios for our stories."

"Does the government know about that?"

Tridon looked at the other 3 and they responded in unison, "We don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"Too long of a story to say why." Tridon answered, "But your story is quite interesting. We have this bag here," he snapped his fingers and a satchel fell into his hand, "and we have to deliver it over to that rooftop over... yonder..."

"Tridon?" Monika started, "Will you be fine?"

"Is it too late to leave?" Tridon quickly asked.

"You'll be fine." Natsuki interrupted, "Just don't look down." Natsuki looked down at Tridon whose eyes widened, "Forgot. You don't tell people that when they're at great heights."

"I'll just stay here and I'll see you girls when it's over."

"No." Natsuki started dragging Tridon towards the edge while saying, "You're doing this whether you like it or not!"

"You can't make me!" Tridon hopped up and hid behind Monika, "Be my emotional shield Monika."

"As much as I would love to just pamper you right now," Monika pinched Tridon's cheek for a short second before pushing him towards the edge, "we need you to start it off for us."

"Ah man!" Tridon closed his eyes and started screaming, "Ah!" While screaming, he ran on the wall of the building and took out a grappling hook and threw it to a nearby scaffolding. He climbed up while still screaming and dove into the building.

"We should probably follow him." Erica commented, "Are you sure you can do this Jen?"

"I-I can. I hope..."

* * *

After some time, they joined Tridon in the building and they saw him in one of the cubicles. He waved at them and stood up.

"What took you girls so long?" Tridon asked while shaking his legs, "Don't mind the legs. It's cold in here."

"It's actually pretty hot in here." Natsuki scoffed, "Are you actually scared?"

"Lalala!" Tridon shouted while he walked off, "I can't here anything other than the coldness of this room!"

"This boy..." Monika chuckled, "Let's go everyone."

"How're you holding up Jen?" Natsuki asked while the group caught up with Tridon.

"This is a little weird. You lot have done this since the beginning of the semester?"

"Pretty much." They answered.

"Wow." Jen stood amazed while looking at everything, "How does his power work exactly?"

"We don't really know." Monika answered, "He doesn't even know himself. He just does it."

"I never said that." Tridon interrupted, "Did I?"

"Yes!" Monika, Natsuki, and Erica shout.

"Right..."

The group eventually made it to another broken window that led to a lower roof area on their building. They stepped out and a massive gust of wind knocked them back a little.

"What the hell?" Tridon groaned while he looked up past the wind. His eyes widened when he saw an apache helicopter loomed over them.

"What's with this wind?" Natsuki moaned, "Geez..."

"Uh..." Tridon mumbled, "Found the reason." The girls looked where Tridon was looking and their eyes widened with him, "So do we run?"

"Run!" The girls pushed Tridon forward and he nearly fell off the building.

"Ah!" Then he lost his balance and fell off the building, "Damn it!"

"Tridon!" The girls yelled.

However, they later saw him rise back up while hanging off of another helicopter. The pilots were Yuri and Sayori.

"How are you guys doing?!" Sayori yelled, "We thought we'd drop on by when we were roped into this world!"

"Sayori," Tridon muttered, "help..."

"Right." Sayori chuckled, "Keep this thing steady Yuri." Sayori stood up and tried to help him up, "Hey you girls!" Sayori shouted, "Jump over and explain to us what we have to do!"

Once everyone was situated on the helicopter and they lost attack helicopter, they gave the two the run down on Jen's story.

"Okay," Yuri started, "I don't know how you lot thought how it was gonna go when the other building is over 200 meters away over these skyscrapers."

"Well," Monika added, "we did find out that our brave boy here is scared of heights."

"That is partially your fault Monika." Tridon stated from behind them, "But if we can ride this out, I'm fine..."

"We're here." Sayori said, "Just hop out and drop that bag off so we can end this."

"This is a little odd." Jen commented, "Do things usually not go as the story tells in these adventures?"

"Not really." Natsuki answered, "But it does help with our writing. Like implementing some of our adventure into our stories to make it more exciting."

"I see..."

The helicopter landed and the girls stepped out, but Tridon remained seated in the helicopter.

"Tridon," Sayori groaned, "come on ya' big baby."

"Just drop it off and I'll switch it back to our reality." Tridon looked off to the side, as if he looked off to a camera and smirked. He proceeded to say, "Just hurry!"

"Alright damn." Sayori responded, "Get off my uh... can't say that can I?"

"Nope." Tridon answered, "Now go."

Sayori laughed and joined the others who were about to place the bag down, but a rocket was shot at them and it sent them flying backwards.

"Forgot to mention this!" Tridon yelled, "We'll be attacked while trying to properly deliver the satchel!"

"Then help us!" The girls yelled back.

"I'll help by doing this!" Tridon snapped his fingers and multiple walls and barricades were dropped in front of them, "Just uh..." Tridon stepped into the pilot seat of the helicopter and scratched his head, "Damn. How'd they learn how to fly a helicopter?" Tridon and pressed a button and the helicopter started, "Okay. We're getting somewhere."

"What is he...?" Natsuki questioned, "Is he trying to fly that thing?"

"Tridon stop!" Erica shouted, "Don't fly!"

"Then pull this." Tridon yanked the lever and he was sent backwards, "Ah!" He shouted. He rammed the helicopter into the building, "Whoo!" Tridon yelped as he stabilized the helicopter, "Leroy Jenkins!" Tridon shouted as he drove the helicopter towards the building of people firing at them, "Whoo-hoo!"

"What is he...?" Monika asked before it clicked, "Oh no!"

Tridon rammed into the building, causing a massive explosion on the building of the hostile individuals.

"No Tridon..." Sayori mouth was left agape until he saw him rise from the rubble, "He's...!"

"Place the bag down!" He shouted.

Yuri tossed the bag down and gave Tridon a thumbs up. Tridon snapped his fingers and the group were now outside the school with Tridon near the gate.

He sighed in relief and made his way to them. Sayori sprinted towards him, but Monika ran past her and grabbed Tridon before suplexing him and pulling him into an arm bar.

"You idiot!" Monika shouted, "You big, dumb, idiot!"

"Ah!" Tridon shouted.

"Wow." Sayori started as the other caught up to her, "Looks like Monika wanted to get a taste of him too."

"I tap!" Tridon tapped her body haphazardly and accidentally grabbed Monika's breast, "Oh no..."

Monika blushed and was about to tighten his grip, but Tridon quickly snapped his fingers and disappeared from her grip. Monika backed up and groaned.

"I wonder why he hasn't done that every time we do that to him." Natsuki commented, "Maybe he likes being armbar'd."

"He touched..." Monika muttered to herself, "It actually felt good but..."

"Oh well." Sayori sighed, "At least the new member got a taste as to how our sessions go."

"It's quite odd, but fun." Jen commented, "I think joining this club was a good idea."

"Oh!" Natsuki started, "Do you guys wanna have a swim day at the pond?"

"Pond?" Jen questioned, "Do you mean that pond outside the city?"

"Yeah." Sayori answered, "It's Tridon's relax spot and hell yeah! I would love to do a swim day!"

"Yuri, Monika?" Natsuki asked, "What about you two?"

"Uh..." Monika stuttered.

"I'd love to just relax by the pond, but I don't know about swimming..."

"It'd be a chance to see Tridon wet and shirtless." Natsuki cooed while jerking her eyebrows up at them.

"We'll do it!" Both Yuri and Monika shout in unison.

"Alright. Jen? Erica?"

"I'd love to have a swim day." Erica answered, "I've never gotten to swim there, so why not start now."

"I don't know." Jen shied but turned to them and smiled warmly, "I guess it's alright."

"Her smile..." Sayori commented, "We gotta keep Tridon away from that smile."

"Yup." The other 4 commented.


	26. Beach Time Day 1: Yuri

The club stood inside Tridon's house staring outside. In their possession were multiple bags filled with pool toys, beach chairs, and other items for their swim day. However, there was a massive storm surge outside.

"Well that ruins our plans." Tridon commented, "What do we do now?"

"I don't know." Sayori sighed as she took a seat on the couch, "I was really hoping to at least get one big swim with everyone."

"Guys," Yuri started, "we do have someone who can alter reality."

"Who?" Tridon asked causing Yuri to puff her cheeks out, "Sorry Yuri." Tridon pinched her cheeks and said, "So you girls want me to do what? Make a beach scenario for us to hangout at or?"

"I was just gonna say clear up the weather so that we could go to the pond." Monika commented, "But I think the beach would be lovely."

"Wait a second." Natsuki interrupted, "Is this our beach episode?"

"I think beach chapter is the better term." Erica commented, "What about you Jen?"

"I'm not usually comfortable with the beach because of the various, lurking eyes..." Jen hid her body as she described her dislike of the beach. She sighed and looked at the others, "But if I'm with all of you, I guess it wouldn't be so bad..."

"I guess that settles it." Tridon clapped his hands together and said, "We're having a beach day!" Tridon looked at the girls and said, "Get into your bathing suits or bikinis or whatever while I think of what I'll add to this beach scenario..."

"Are you sure you aren't going to put your trunks on?" Monika asked, but as she said this, Tridon's clothes disappeared and he was now in his trunks, "Uh..."

"What're you talking about? I have my trunks on."

"Ah..." Monika sighed and stared at his body, "Okay..."

"Monika," Sayori growled, "stop gawking at his body."

"I'm not gawking at it." Monika retorted, "I'm just merely uh..."

"Monika..."

"Oh fine, but how can you resist looking at that?" Monika pointed over to Tridon who was still lost in thought over what to do.

"Yeah you're right..." Sayori softly agreed.

"Girls," Natsuki interrupted, "get turned on later. We gotta dress out."

* * *

Several moments later, Tridon nodded and turned to the girls who were all slumped on the couch.

"What's wrong?"

"You've been thinking for almost 20 minutes."

"My bad." Tridon snapped his fingers and the 7 of them were teleported to a wide open beach where they were the only tenants of it, "Here we are at the beach!"

"Wow..." The girls spoke in awe.

"Nobody here, only the 7 of us to enjoy it for the rest of the week!"

"Wait." Sayori interrupted, "You're meaning to tell us that we're gonna be here for the next 4 days?"

"Yup."

"What about school?" Yuri questioned.

"Ah don't worry about it. It'll be 4 days to us, but it'll only one day in our reality." Tridon held his hand up and asked, "Are you girls ready?"

"Yup!" They all answer.

"Sweet." Tridon noded and said, "Now let's begin our beach break!"

"Wow..." The girls stared in awe while Tridon stretched.

"So we have our normal beach setup and we'll be staying at that beach condo behind us." Tridon wiped his forehead and breathed heavily, "Whoo..."

"Uh," Sayori started, "was this a lot to do?"

"Definitely." Tridon huffed and bent forward, "But the time we spend here should be enough time to let my power stabilize itself again. Because there's a lot more to this place than just the beach, but we'll get to that later." Tridon fell backwards onto the sand while the girls surrounded him, "Ah you girls go have fun. I'm just gonna catch my breath for a second."

"You girls go on ahead." Yuri stated, "I'll keep him company."

"Mmm..." Monika growled while Erica dragged her away.

"Alright," Sayori smiled, "let's go!"

Yuri set down her bag and placed an umbrella above them and placed down a beach chair. She stretched and placed a sunhat on her head. She sat down and looked at Tridon who looked at her back.

"You still have a robe on."

"I'll take it off in a minute Tridon." Yuri leaned back and sighed, "I think a break is good. Especially with everyone here. My summer break is usually just me spending time alone and reading or visiting family every now and then."

"Well, it's obvious what my summer is filled with."

"Sayori?"

"That and my family. Her family too of course since ours are close. Anyway," Tridon sat up and popped his back, "are you just going to chill out here?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you want to swim?"

"W-Why would I need to swim?"

"Why'd you stutter?"

"W-Who's s-stuttering?"

"Can you not swim?" Tridon stared at Yuri who hid her blushing face with shade from her sunhat, "You can't swim, can you."

"Look, I never learned how to swim as a kid. Is that so wrong?"

"Not really. Sayori never knew how to swim until high school. I taught her." Tridon stood up and held his hand out, "I can help you learn how to swim. I taught her and I can teach you."

"I-I don't know..."

"Yuri. Your 18 or nearly 18, I don't really know, but you need to learn to swim."

"I'm 18 Tridon and aren't you 18?"

"Not yet."

"You said you were 18 when we had that one sleepover. You know. After our study date?"

"It wasn't a 'date' Yuri, but I know I did. I was just trying to make a point. Look, my birthday is soon but right now," Tridon took Yuri's hand and said, "I'm teaching you how to swim." Yuri's face blushed as her hat and robe flew off her body while she followed Tridon to the water.

Sayori watched with the others as she submerged her head just slightly underwater. Bubbles floated in front of her while she growled.

"Well, we have 4 days with him." Natsuki commented, "And I'm sure it's going to take the whole day for Yuri to learn how to swim, so she has this first day with him."

"4 days..." Erica muttered to herself, "That means..." Erica held a look of dismay and shook her head. She turned away from them and bit her nails.

"What about all of you?" Jen started, "Do all of you know how to swim?"

"My dad practically forced me to take swimming lessons." Natsuki groaned, "He said 'You never know when you need to swim to safety' or something like that."

"I swam a lot as a kid." Monika answered, "So it's just something I picked up."

"He taught me." Sayori answered from under the water, "Now he's teaching Yuri."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tridon lead Yuri to slightly deeper waters, but she panicked and backed up. However, she lost her footing on the sand and fell under.

Tridon quickly sprung into action and helped her back up, "Watch out and don't panic Yuri." Tridon sighed in relief and moved Yuri hair out of her face, "Just hang on while we stabilize and so that you can catch your breath."

"Just don't let go." Yuri pleaded with her eyes closed.

"I won't." He responded.

"Don't let go." She repeated.

"I won't." He responded again.

"Don't let go!"

"I let go."

Yuri's eyes shot open when she saw that she was floating on her back while Tridon floated next to her straight up.

"Just relax and keep that posture."

"T-Tridon..."

"You feel the weightlessness of your body being supported by the water. Don't panic and keep your composure."

"Okay..."

"Now I need you to slowly transition to an upright position. Once you do, kick your feet lightly." Tridon moved his fingers lightly to give Yuri an example, "If you need extra help, don't be afraid to grab onto me."

"Mmm..." Yuri nervously moved up, but started to sink down. Yuri panicked and latched onto Tridon, "I can't..."

"Of course you can. It just takes some time." Tridon sighed and smiled warmly at Yuri, "We have all day. If it takes all day to teach you, then we'll go until the sun goes down."

"R-Right..."

"Get ready because you'll about to be worked senseless!"

"I don't think I'm ready."

"Too bad. Let's go!"

Sayori watched from behind Monika who chuckled in front of her.

"Mind telling why you're using me as cover?"

"You're the only other tall girl here."

"What about Erica?"

"She's over there with Jen and Natsuki. I need you to swim me over there to spy a little better."

"Sayori, he somehow always knows when we're spying on him. As much as I don't like this, it was bound to happen."

"Mmm..." Sayori puffed her cheeks out and sunk slightly underwater.

* * *

Later that evening, Yuri swam just a small bit before needing Tridon to help her back to the surface.

"You're improving, but there's still some work that needs to be done."

"Still," Yuri huffed and puffed before saying, "I feel better about swimming than I did before."

"That's good. It took Sayori a few days before she learned how to swim well. So I'm glad I was able to help you."

"Hey you two!" Natsuki shouted, "Are you two gonna stay in the water and shrivel up or are you two gonna join us in the condo?"

"We're coming!" Tridon responded, "Let's go Yuri."

"Yeah." Yuri moved her leg just once until she felt a sharp pain shoot to her calf. She fell while shouting, "Cramp!" Yuri fell into the water while grabbing her cramped calf.

Tridon quickly sprung into action and dove in. Luckily, Yuri hadn't drifted farther down and Tridon was able to grab her before then. Tridon swam back to the surface while Yuri's vision faded.

He resurfaced with Yuri on his back. He swam quickly back to the beach and placed her in front of the girls.

"She's out." Tridon commented.

"Does anyone know CPR?" Monika asked.

"Tridon." Sayori answered while looking at Tridon.

"Man. Why can I do everything. Writer?"

_Wow. You lot haven't referenced me for a long time, but dude, chill out._

"Whatever." Tridon put his head to her chest and listened, "Hm..." Tridon performed chest compression for a short moment before listening in again. He sighed and held his hand up. He signaled the girls to keep quiet.

He slightly cupped his hands and brought it to Yuri's mouth. He could see her slowly pucker her lips. He pressed his hand on his lips and heard a smooch sound.

"Wow," Tridon started, "you really went for it."

Yuri's eyes shot open and she saw that she had actually kissed his hands.

"H-Huh?!" Yuri sat up and the other laughed, "I uh..."

"Nice try on getting a kiss from mouth-to-mouth, but I'm smarter than that." Tridon helped Yuri to her feet and said, "Now let's get to the condo. I think you girls will like it."

* * *

Once they entered the condo, their eyes were wide and a bright gleam shined from their eyes. Tridon joined them after he closed the door and smiled.

"Is it nice?"

"This is awesome!" Sayori shouted as she ran off to look at the condo.

"This took a lot of my power to set up. So these next few 'days' should be good for us to just sit back and relax so that I can properly bring us back to our reality."

"I gotta admit," Erica started, "you've gotten really handy with your powers."

"Using it a lot since the beginning of the semester has made using this power infinitely easier." Tridon yawned and walked towards the kitchen, "I'll go prepare some dinner while you lot go check out the place."

"No." Monika stopped Tridon and said, "It's obvious you're tired right now. You sit down and rest while we get to work on cooking."

Tridon thought back to the time Monika started a fire in his house and grabbed her hand, " _They_ can do the cooking. It's probably best if you," Tridon brought her over to the couch and sat her down, "we can take a rest here so that you and fire won't be able to mix."

"Mmm..." Monika puffed her cheeks out and crossed her arms and legs, "Fine..." Monika smirked and grabbed Tridon's arms and pulled him onto the couch, "Then I'll be happy to share this time with her."

"M-Monika..." Tridon stuttered, "You're still in your bikini."

"Oh?" Monika cooed, "So even you can get flustered huh?"

"I so wish I could snap out of this situation."

Sayori growled and leaped towards him. Sayori tackled him down and performed a sharpshooter on Tridon.

"Ah!" Tridon yelled, "I give! I give!"

* * *

After dinner, Tridon carried Sayori to one of the rooms and sighed, "She needs to stop eating herself to sleep. She still needs to clean herself after swimming today." Tridon turned to one of the girls and asked, "Can one of you help her clean herself or at least wake her up? I can't for obvious reasons."

"I got it." Erica offered, "It's not the first time I've had to help clean herself. Same to you Tridon."

"What?" Tridon scoffed and handed Sayori to her, "I have not needed you to clean me ever."

"Want me to tell them?"

"No please..." Tridon quickly answered.

"Haha." Erica laughed while she bounced Sayori to wake her up, "Wake up Sayori. You need to shower and take a bath."

Sayori yawned and said, "5 more minutes."

"Well, that gives me time to set it up." Erica walked off with Sayori in her arms leaving the others in the hall.

"Tridon," Natsuki started, "are there any other side effects from you losing your powers?"

"Why do you ask?" Tridon responded.

"You like you're out of it."

"Oh right." Tridon looked around and asked, "Can I fall on one of you because..." Before Tridon could get his sentence out, he passed out onto Monika who was there to catch him.

"I guess passing out is a side effect." Monika huffed after supporting him on her shoulders, "What do we do?"

"I don't know." Natsuki answered, "Put him in bed?"

"He needs to get clean first." Yuri added, "He can't go to sleep with ocean water and sand on his body."

"True..." Monika looked at Tridon's limp body, "Uh..."

"We could all bathe him." Jen finally spoke up and added, "It shouldn't be too bad since he's unconscious right now. He wouldn't know and we could just cover up his..." Jen pointed down and blushed.

The other 3 blushed with her and gulped.

"Okay," Monika started, "One of us should get part of his body. Just to make our cleaning efficient and fast. Just so that he doesn't wake while we're trying to get one part at a time."

"I'll get his legs." Natsuki offered, "Anyone else?"

"I can get his hair." Yuri answered.

"I can get his arms." Jen added.

"I guess that leaves me his..." Monika gulped and stared at his abdomen, "body..."

The girls eventually got him dressed well enough to keep him suitable to be washed by the girls.

"Let's just do this quickly and efficiently." Monika ordered, "We do that, we can get him in his bed and he won't even realize that we had to bathe him."

The girls quickly and haphazardly cleaned his entire body while making sure not wake him in anyway. This stopped until they approached the forbidden area.

They stared at it and Monika was about to reach for it, but Natsuki slapped her hand out of the way.

"Stop." Natsuki quickly started, "We can't."

"But he can't go to sleep with it dirty." Monika retorted.

"But we can't clean his..." Yuri paused and covered her eyes, "Oh gosh I can't say it."

"What do we do?" Jen asked, "Leave it or risk it?"

Monika stared at it and gulped heavily, "Come on! Think Monika!" Monika knocked on her head just as Tridon started to wake up.

"What's our plan Monika?" Natsuki asked.

Tridon's eyes slowly fluttered open, but his vision was initially blurry and his hearing was slightly muffled. He sighed and sat up. However, all but Yuri noticed this.

Yuri tried to say something, but she was stuttering too much. Monika noticed this and groaned.

"What is it Yuri?" She asked, "Use your words."

"He's up!" She yelled.

The 3 of them turned to him and their eyes widened. The 4 of them jumped up and ran out of the bathroom, but Yuri tripped and the girls left her behind.

"No!" She yelled, "Don't leave me!"

Monika and Natsuki came back and dragged her out of the bathroom just before Tridon regained his vision and hearing.

He looked around and shrugged his shoulder, "How'd I get in the bathroom?" Tridon sighed and checked his body, "Well I'm clean but my d*** isn't. Might as well finish the job."


	27. Beach Time Day 1.5: Flashbacks (Filler)

That next morning, the girls woke up to see Tridon gone. Monika walked into the kitchen asking, "Where's Tridon?"

"Oh," Sayori answered, "he's on the beach doing his mile run. He does one every morning. He should be back soon."

"You know, I want to work out with him once." Monika commented, "I like to stay fit and I think I can keep up with him."

"Good luck with that Monika." Erica chuckled, "He goes extremely hard on his workouts. Tiff can keep up with him because she's trained to. Tridon is just freak athlete and his body speaks for itself."

"Hm..."

"I've actually seen him work out once." Natsuki chimed in.

"You have?"

"Yeah. It was a random weekend where Tiff couldn't work out with him. In fact, it was before we all officially met."

"You met Tridon before he joined the club?" Sayori asked.

"Technically, but not really. It was more informal since we didn't really get each other's names or talked to each other."

* * *

_It was a year ago just before our Junior year started. I had gained some weight over the summer break so I had my dad drop me off at one of the local gyms. This gym just so happen to be where Tridon was at the same time._

"Nobody else really here." Natsuki muttered to herself. She noticed Tridon over by the dumbbells and was performing curls, "Except one other guy." She watched him for a second and was taken aback by his physique, "Oh man. That guy kinda looks good. His body that is."

Tridon sighed and put down the dumbbells. He shook his head and stretched, "I need a spotter." He said to himself, "I need to do some lifting." Tridon turned around while he wiped his face with a towel and Natsuki was able to get a full look of him.

_When he turned around, all sweaty and stuff, I was completely caught off-guard at how... ahem.. hot he looked. To go with his amazing physique, he had such a handsome face that he looked like a male model._

"J-Just don't look at him or anything." Natsuki sighed, "Probably just some muscle head idiot."

_I was technically wrong about that, but not wrong at the same time. He's an idiot, but he's not some freak or anything._

* * *

Natsuki leaned on the counter in the kitchen and sighed, "I wish I had talked to him or something. Would've given me an advantage for his choice."

Monika pouted and turned away, "Actually," she started, "I met Tridon before the club too."

"You did?"

"I did actually. It was for a public event and since we were the top 2 in the school at the time, they wanted us to represent the school."

"I heard about that event." Sayori added, "It was an all day thing and Tridon had to attend it. That's where you met him?"

"Yup."

* * *

_The event was over the summer. It was to introduce our class's valedictorian and salutatorian. It wasn't fun at all and rather boring._

Monika waved to people as they talked to each other. She didn't want to be there and would rather be home relaxing as the school year ended just 2 weeks ago.

Tridon stood near her texting on his phone. She noticed this and noticed their school's principal walking up to them. She panicked and slapped his phone out of his hand.

"Hey!" Tridon shouted and looked at Monika, "What's your deal?"

"Prin-ci-pal." She enunciated while pointing at the principal.

"Ah psh." Tridon scoffed and picked his phone back up, "I don't really care. I'm trying to tell my friend how everything's going."

"Hey there you two." Their principal greeted, "Now I know this isn't exactly fun, but I assure you that it should heat up eventually."

"It better heat up fast." Tridon started while texting on his phone, "Or I'm leaving. I didn't come on my summer break to do nothing."

"Hey," Monika berated, "be a little more respectful."

"Oh whatever." Tridon scoffed, "They're not here for some two-bit, former football star salutatorian. They want the more successful, beautiful valedictorian. I'm just here so that I can get those extra college credits."

"But..."

"Monika, they're here for you, so I'm just trying to make the best of it."

"He's sort of right Monika." Their principal agreed, "Granted, he would have some attention if he was on our school's football team, but he's not."

* * *

Monika sighed and sat at the counter while Erica placed a plate of food in front of her, "To be frank with all of you, it's quite shocking to see two different sides of him over the last 2 and a half months."

"Tridon is kind of a d**k when he's somewhere he doesn't want to be or if he's frustrated." Sayori laughed, "So the thing was early and he had to give up a day of summer to be there. Yeah he was both."

"I'm so glad that wasn't his real personality." Monika sighed in relief and said, "I was afraid that was who he was as a person. Part of me thought that when you brought him to the club."

"I knew him before too." Jen spoke up, "In fact, Yuri and I do."

"We do?" Yuri thought for a second and nodded, "Oh yeah." She paused and shouted, "Don't tell them about that!"

"I have to Yuri if we're talking about our past experiences with Tridon before we officially met him."

* * *

_It was sometime during our sophomore year. Yuri and I were called to help Tridon bring some textbooks from one of the classrooms on the 3rd floor and it was normal for the most part._

"Thank you two for helping me bring these text books." Tridon thanked the girls as he carefully walked down the stairs, "It was gonna take me until lunch break to get these back to the library."

"It's no trouble." Yuri huffed as she met Tridon at the ground, "Still, it's so much trouble to bring these so far from the library."

"Inconvenience by having one of our teachers quit and not having enough janitors to do this." Tridon looked past Yuri and saw Jen struggling, "Everything okay up there?"

"I'm getting there..." Jen slowly stepped down and eventually tripped.

Tridon dropped all the books he was carrying and managed to catch Jen, but he fell back into Yuri. Tridon groaned and looked at Jen.

"You okay?"

"I'm okay?"

"And you?" Tridon asked as he turned around to see that his rested right in between Yuri's breasts, "Oh no..." Tridon quickly stood up with Jen while Yuri grabbed her breast, "I'm so sorry..."

"You pervert!" Yuri shouted.

* * *

Yuri sighed as she placed her plate in the sink, "I knew better than to call him that. It wasn't even his fault."

"It was quite unfortunate on how that went down." Jen added, "What were the odds?"

"It seems like my best friend interacted or saw all of you in one way or another." Sayori scrunched her face and sighed, "What really are the odds..."


	28. Beach Time Day 2: Natsuki

The club were on the beach again while Tridon held a football in his hands. He looked at a couple of targets he set up on the beach and nodded. He stepped back and threw the ball, but was off his mark by a little.

"Damn it." Tridon sighed and was about to pick up another ball, but noticed it was gone, "Huh?"

"Think fast." Natsuki threw the ball at Tridon and he caught just before it hit his face, "You having trouble?"

"Yup." Tridon answered, "I'm hoping I can get back into it so that I can play football in college, but it doesn't look so great at the moment."

"It's been how long since you've played?"

"Just over 5 years."

"Right." Natsuki walked next to Tridon and nodded, "Where do you actually plan on attending?"

"The local community college."

"Hold that thought Tridon." Natsuki interrupted, "Just to clarify where this is taking place, this is taking place in Colorado. Littleton to be exact. That's not where the writer lives. He actually far from Colorado. It's just he established the setting to take place in Colorado. I don't know why."

"The writer is weird." Tridon added.

_Listen here you two, I can maybe write you two off._

"Oh really?" Natsuki tempted, "Try it then."

_Well I can't write Tridon off, but I can send you to last place in the race Natsuki._

"Uh. I'll keep my mouth shut..."

"Anyway," Tridon interrupted, "I don't want to tell Sayori, but I want to attend Lingston rather than our local community college."

"But isn't Lingston one of the top academic schools in Colorado? I know you're smart, but I don't think it's the best place to go for football if you want to go pro."

"But it's the easiest for someone who hasn't played in 5 years to attend. I can easily get academic scholarships, but I want to go there for football."

"Well looking at your throw earlier, it doesn't look so great." Natsuki walked over to the ball he threw and tossed it back next to him, "Maybe you need to focus more on studying than football."

"Or I keep working at my football skills and maybe I'll make it to the NFL!" Tridon laughed and threw the ball again, but was completely off target, "Uh..."

"Dude. You need to hang out with us rather than ignore us."

"I am not ignoring you girls." Tridon turned to Natsuki and tapped the football on her head, "I just feel like this is a way to work on my craft."

"Why don't we surf or something?"

"Surf?" Tridon tapped his the football he kept it on Natsuki's head and said, "Can you surf?"

"A little. Enough to have fun." Natsuki shoved the football off her head and asked, "Wanna have a go at surfing?"

"We don't have any boards. What are we gonna..." Before Tridon could say anything, Natsuki handed him a surfboard, "Right. Do you have powers too?"

"Nope. I just had these ready for when you asked that question." Natsuki took Tridon's hand and led him to the water, "Now let's go surf some waves!"

* * *

Sayori and Monika watched from a distance and were gritting their teeth fiercely. Yuri watched with Erica and Jen while the two glared at them.

"Why aren't you with them glaring at Tridon and Natsuki?" Erica asked, "Is it because you got your day yesterday?"

"Yeah. I don't need to pop a blood vessel over something like..." Even as she said this, she looked over to Tridon and Natsuki who were laying on their surfboards and cruising close to one another, "That girl..." Yuri growled.

"What about you Jen?" Erica turned to Jen who sighed, "What's the matter?"

"I've had a crush on Tridon for a long time. Since Freshman year, I've had eyes for him, but I don't stand a chance against all of you."

"Are you saying that if you had joined earlier, you'd probably stand a chance then?"

"Yes?"

* * *

In the water, Tridon took the sun in while the two floated on their surfboards, "I love this relaxing feeling. Don't you Natsuki?"

"Definitely." She agreed as she laid on her stomach. She looked over at Tridon who laid on his back and his eyes closed. She watched the sun glisten off his body and was taking it in, "Tridon, did you put sunscreen on?"

"I did. And you?"

"Haha..." Natsuki chuckled nervously and turned her head away from Tridon, "Yeah..."

"Natsuki..."

"I didn't get a chance to put any on."

"Come on." Tridon started to paddle his way back to shore, "I'll put some on."

Natsuki's eyes widened and a sly smirk grew on her face. She squealed to herself before joining Tridon on the shore.

"What are you two doing back so soon?" Monika asked.

"This girl needs some sunscreen, so I'm gonna apply it on her back."

"A-Ah..." Monika stuttered and stood in front of Tridon, "Put sunscreen on my back too!"

"Monika, I saw Erica put sunscreen on you already."

"Uh..."

"What about me?!" Sayori interrupted, "Your best friend?!"

"I already did."

"Oh right. You did..."

"And Yuri," Tridon turned to Yuri and said, "I don't think you put on any sunscreen earlier. I know Erica put sunscreen on Monika and Jen already, but you haven't either." Tridon shrugged and said, "I can put sunscreen on for you girls. Unless you'd like the others to do so."

"I'll let you do it!" Natsuki and Yuri shout at Tridon who backed up.

"I'd like some protection in case I get kicked in the ribs or punted into the ocean." Tridon reached into his duffle bag and took out an umpire chest guard, helmet, and slapped it, "Let's do this." Tridon turned to Yuri and said, "You're first Yuri."

"O-Okay..." Yuri laid on her stomach while Tridon squeezed some of the sunscreen on his hands, "Do I need to untie my..."

"I can't get your whole back if you don't." Tridon commented, "Just don't freak out when I start putting the sunscreen on, okay?"

"Right." Yuri untied her bikini top and squirmed a little.

"Stop squirming around Yuri." Tridon's hands inched just slightly closer to Yuri's back before she kicked him with her heel in his face, sending him flying into the ocean, "The protection didn't help!"

"Yuri!" The others yell.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'll go get him." Natsuki sighed as she grabbed her board and surfed over to where Tridon was floating. She chuckle and moved next to him, "Hey there." Since Tridon's head was face down in the water, Natsuki was responded to with water, "Turn over idiot."

Tridon turned around and looked at Natsuki, "I thought the protection would work."

"Protection like that doesn't save you from being launched."

"True." Tridon moved upright and rested on Natsuki surfboard, "So I guess that leaves me putting sunscreen on you."

"Actually Tridon."

"Yeah?"

"I already have sunscreen on."

"What?"

"Yeah. I put some on before we got here."

"Why did you say didn't before?"

"I just wanted you to put some sunscreen on me. I wanted some alone time with you."

"If you think about it Natsuki," Tridon climbed onto her board and sat across from her, "I've spent a good amount of my time with you."

"Yeah. I just..."

"Are you that obsessed with hanging with me that you want to try and do whatever you can to do so?"

"I don't wanna say obsessed. I guess it's because you're just that one guy I can fool around with. Not just a guy, but one person I can have a great time with."

"Do you not have many friends?"

"A lot of the anime and manga fans at our school are kinda creepy. I've tried to talk to some of them, but I just can't handle it."

"I understand." Tridon looked behind him and saw everyone staring at them, "I guess we should head back over to shore before they try and drown me."

"Alright..."

* * *

Once they approached and everyone was situated again, Tridon clapped his hands and stood in front of everyone.

"Alright, so I know you're wondering what else we could do on the beach." Tridon walked over to the sea where 3 jet skis were, "Nothing says the beach like good ole fashion jet skiing!"

"When did you do this without us even knowing?" Sayori questioned, "How did we miss this?!"

"Also," Jen interrupted, "there's only 3."

"Yeah. We're gonna have to pair up because we are racing!" Tridon snapped his fingers and they were on the nearby pier where below were the jet skis and a massive start/finish banner hung above them.

"Are we doing this mario kart style or?" Natsuki asked, "Because I'll throw a mean red shell."

"No. Just a race." Tridon answered, "There will be a set buoys spread across the water here. Passing through them will show you where you will need to go. For you not to stray off course, there will be paths showing you where to go."

"Wouldn't you know where the paths are?" Monika asked, "You did create this."

"You would think that, but I don't. This is just random. So I might either crash, or steer off course."

"Who's riding with you?" Erica asked and almost instantly, the dokis surrounded Tridon and glared at one another, "I guess that leaves me with you Jen."

"Alright..."

"Girls, I can't ride with all of you." Tridon responded, "Plus, I need someone to be the flag person for when we cross the finish line." Tridon looked at Monika and asked, "Monika?"

"M-Me?"

"Yeah. Well apart from Yuri and Erica, you're one of the taller girls here."

"B-But..."

"Don't worry," Tridon whispered, "my day is with you tomorrow."

Monika stiffened up and picked up a nearby checkered flag before saluting them.

"Girls," Tridon turned to the other 3 and said, "I'll be riding with Natsuki."

"Huh?!" Sayori and Yuri yell.

"She is the smallest between the two of you. Weight advantage." Tridon winked which earned his toes to be crush by Natsuki's heel, "Ah!"

"Don't talk about how small I am."

"But you are." And with that statement, Natsuki grabbed Tridon and suplexed him into the water.

"Hmph." Sayori pouted and crossed her arms, "I guess the only way to get back at him is by beating him Yuri."

"But Sayori, neither of us know how to ride a jet ski."

"That maybe true, but that doesn't they don't either."

"Tridon might."

"Well, I doubt it's that hard right?"

* * *

The 3 teams were now situated on their jet skis with Tridon, Yuri, and Erica being the drivers.

Monika stood on top of the pier holding her flags and shouted, "First one back here wins the race!"

"Just hold on Natsuki." Tridon started, "We're gonna be going at blazing speeds!"

"Go!" Monika shouted as she waved her flah.

Yuri and Erica stormed off while Tridon remained back at the starting line going slower than a snail weighed down by an anchor.

"Tridon," Natsuki started, "why are we going slower than Sayori when she's running the mile in gym class?"

"Safety first."

"Tridon, if you don't go any faster, I rip your nuts off."

"But Natsuki..."

"Rip 'em off." She growled.

"But..."

"Step on it!"

"Stepping on it!" Tridon revved the accelarator and the two blasted off from the starting line, "Stepping on it!"

"Tridon!" Natsuki shouted, "Slow a little bit down!"

"Stepping on it. Stepping on it." Tridon repeated, "Stepping on it!"

"Tridon slow down!"

"I wanna keep my nuts!"

"I was joking."

Tridon brought the jet ski to an abrupt stop and asked, "You were?"

"Did you really think I was serious?"

"Well, judging by how many times you girls have slammed me on the back of my neck, nearly tear limbs off, practically held me against my will some time ago, a lot of your threats seem to come true."

"Wait," Natsuki started, "are you scared of us?"

"Scared? What?" Natsuki raised an eyebrow at Tridon's answer which caused him to sigh and answer truthfully, "Not complete fear. I am a little fearful though."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm used to the pain." Tridon responded, "I'm just worried that one day one of you are gonna aggravate my knee again and destroy it."

"We aren't trying to you know."

"I know you girls aren't. It's mostly me doing something stupid to deserve it. I'm just worried that one of these attacks on me will aggravate my knee again and I don't want that. It was bad enough the first time."

"Dude..."

Yuri and Erica passed them and Tridon jumped.

"The race!" Tridon revved again and the two were off.

* * *

Eventually, it was neck and neck near the finish line. The 3 leaned forward just as they crossed the finish line. Monika stood dumbfounded while they rode back to her.

"Who won?!"

"Uh..." Monika stuttered and slowly shrugged her shoulders.

"Gah!" They groaned.

Later that night at the shoreline, Tridon set up an entire grill area while the girls sat at a long table ready to eat dinner.

"How do we know who won though?" Sayori asked, "Because I think Yuri and I won."

"Oh please." Erica retorted, "Jen and I crushed the 4 of you."

"No way!" Natsuki shouted, "Tridon and I killed it!"

"Calm down all of you." Tridon started, "We'll discuss how Monika couldn't figure out who won while we eat."

"Hey!" Monika groaned, "I don't photographic vision..."

"It's alright." Tridon chuckled, "I'm just teasing." Tridon placed several plates of food, "Feast upon yourselves!"

"You eat too bud." Sayori said as she stood up and handed Tridon a plate, "You're at the beach. You need to indulge yourselves in throwing your body away by being at the beach."

"Sayori..."

"Come on best friend."

"Don't force him Sayori." Natsuki laughed, "I think he should keep that nice bod of his."

"That is very true." Sayori smirked and rubbed Tridon chest, "You're lucky I love these pecs of yours best friend."

"I think I'm being seduced." Tridon commented, "I need an adult."

Everyone laughed and continued to finish up their dinner.

* * *

Later that night once everyone was situated in their separate rooms, Tridon remained on the balcony of the beach condo that overlooked the beach. He leaned on the edge and sighed.

"Hey..." Tridon turned around to see Natsuki standing behind him, "Why are you out here?"

"Just taking in the moonlight." Tridon looked around looked at the ground below them, "Sayori and I don't normally come to the beach since her parents' house have a massive swimming pool. So the most swimming we've done was their."

"Your families are close huh?"

"Yup. Going to each other's parents' house is almost a yearly occurrence. Sometimes multiple times a year."

"Makes easier to have her 'meet' your parents when they've already met."

"Natsuki, what are you getting at?" Tridon sighed and walked over to Natsuki, "Do you think I'm choosing Sayori for the dance?"

"Yeah. You two are so perfect for each other. It just seems like the two of you are destined for one another."

"It seems that way yeah." Tridon walked past her and bonked her head as he did so while saying, "But these scenarios always end with a surprise." And with that, Tridon walked back inside.

Natsuki placed her hands on her head and smiled, "You might be an obnoxious, loud idiot." She stared at Tridon as he walked off to his room and added, "But I want you to be my idiot..."


	29. Beach Day 3: Monika

Monika loomed over Tridon as he slept. She tip-toed and tried to inch her way into his bed. However, just before she could, Tridon rolled over and his hand landed on one of her breasts.

"Mm..." Monika covered her mouths while he face burned from the heat of embarrassment. She felt him squeeze once and finally she yelled, "Ah!" Followed by a loud smack.

Tridon sat at the kitchen table with an icepack on his cheek. He held a straight face while Monika sat across from him embarrassed.

The other 4 stood near them and sighed in unison.

"Monika," Erica started, "tell him your sorry."

"But he groped me."

"I was asleep." Tridon retorted.

"Shut it dude." Sayori interrupted before adding, "But he was asleep."

"I know..."

"Monika," Yuri interrupted, "even if he did grope you accidentally, it was your fault for trying to squirm into his bed."

"I thought I locked my door.."

"Tridon." Natsuki growled, "Yeah I thought he locks his door."

"He left a spare key on the counter. So I used it." She looked over at Tridon and mumbled, "I'm so sorry Tridon..."

"Well, she did apologize now." Sayori commented, "But I don't think a slap of that magnitude deserves a soft apology like that."

"What else can I do?" Monika questioned, "I know he needs a little more, but what else can I do?"

The girls all looked at each other and huddled together. After some very distinct whispering and a combined groan from everyone, they turned around and sighed.

"Monika," Sayori started, "we'll allow you to spend the entire day with him."

"And when we say the entire day," Yuri added, "we only mean until dinner."

"This will give you time to make it up to him." Natsuki finalized.

"Wait a second." Tridon interrupted, "This sounds like your rewarding her for..."

"Thanks girls!" Monika grabbed Tridon mid-sentence and dragged him out the house.

"Probably should've told him to cook breakfast first, right?" Erica stated causing all the girls to hold their heads low.

* * *

Monika walked along the beach with her arms wrapped around one of Tridon's arms. However, Tridon was more being dragged along the sand.

"We're going to do so many different thing Tridon!" Monika cooed, "First we're run around the beach, then we're gonna run along the pier. By the condo, along the streets, behind a dumpster, inside the condo..."

"Monika!" Tridon finally yelled.

"Huh?" Monika looked down to see Tridon buried in sand with only one arm sticking out, "Oh..."

"Monika," Tridon rose up from the sand and shook it off of him, "if you're going to make up for slapping my cheek off, then you're gonna do what I say."

"W-What you say?"

"Yeah. I mean, I was already gonna hang out with..." Tridon looked over at Monika who started to untie her bikini, "M-Monika!"

"What? You want this right?"

"Stop!" Tridon grabbed Monika's shoulders while his nose bled slightly, "I'm not even 18 yet!" Monika's face turned beet red while Tridon sighed, "Monika. Calm down and let's just chill."

"A-Alright..."

Tridon slowly grabbed Monika's hand and led her over to the shoreline. Monika avoided Tridon's gaze while they walked hand in hand. Tridon remained stoic on the outside, but he was screaming internally out of joy.

_"You're holding hands with her! You. Are. Holding. Hands. With. Monika!"_ Tridon shouted internally, _"You holding hands with your high school crush. Yeah you might like the other girls, but this opportunity is so surreal!"_

"Tridon," Monika started, "you just yelled that outloud."

"Huh?"

"All that. You just shouted everything at the top of your lungs."

Tridon held a straight face and ran off for a short second before sprinting back to Monika. He grabbed her shoulders and shook his head.

"Please disregard all of that please."

"B-But..."

"Monika, I'm already a little bit embarrassed after you just about nearly got naked in front of me, but now I'm even more embarrassed."

"Mmm..."

"I'm sorry Monika." Tridon looked at Monika's hand and grabbed it again, "Let's get back to our stroll along the beach."

"Alright."

* * *

The two strolled along the shoreline hand in hand and took in the morning, sea breeze. Monika breathed heavily and sighed.

"Yeah Monika?"

"It's just great to just to take a deep breath when the breeze is so great." Monika answered, "Doesn't this just feel great?"

"It does." Tridon and Monika stopped and stared at the water, "Do you get to go to the beach much?"

"Not really. I don't really have any siblings to have fun at the beach with and not many other family friends."

"Well that sucks." Tridon sighed and chuckled, "I would've expected you to have many other friends though. You're very popular."

"Friends? You mean those preppy kids who think they're better than everyone?"

"That's a light way of putting it."

"You know me better than that Tridon." Monika pouted at Tridon and glared at him, "Hanging out with you and the others is better than being with kids that want to hang out with me."

"I'm fine with that."

"Tridon," Monika solemnly started, "when it comes to choosing one of us, do you find it harder for yourself to choose rather than one of us worrying about who you're going to choose?"

"I do actually." He answered, "If I choose one of you, I'll hurt the ones that I didn't choose. I wish I could choose everyone, but that's just a fantasy that'll just never come true."

"If you were a different person, you would make that a reality with your power, but you won't."

"It's wrong to do it that way." Tridon held Monika's hand just slightly tighter, "However, part of me wants to do that, but the good in me wants to do it right."

"I'm glad that good in you is preventing you from being a piece of scum and forcing all of us to be with you." Monika hugged Tridon's right arm and said, "It's what makes you a great person."

"That actually means a lot coming from someone like you." Tridon scratched the back of his head and said, "I remember the stupid event we had to go to this past summer. I know I came off as an ass during that event, but I was tired and stressed out."

"Stressed? You weren't frustrated?"

"Well, my frustration came from my stress."

"What were you stressed about." Tridon was about to say something, but Monika stopped him, "Before you start, can we set up a nice place to sit and lounge?"

"Sure." Tridon snapped his fingers and the two were now sitting in lounge chairs underneath an umbrella. In between them sat a cooler in which Tridon opened and took out two drinks, "I know you don't soda all too much, so this is bottled juice."

"Does that exist?"

"I'm sure it does." He handed her the bottle and she gladly took the bottle. He took out a bottle opener and asked, "May I?"

"You most certainly may." Tridon popped the bottle cap off of both of their drinks and the two dinked bottles, "Now why were you stressed?"

"It was my choice of college." Tridon began, "Ever since Sayori and I got to high school, we already knew we wanted to stay together, so we decided to go to our local community college so that we can always be together."

"What's been bugging you about that?"

"I want to go to Lingston."

"I think I see the problem here..."

"Sayori is too academically inept to even get into Lingston." Tridon interrupted, "If I want to start playing football again, even if it is at a d-2 college, I want to be able to attend and I can get in with ease through my academics, but Sayori, not so much."

"So you're stressed about thinking for your future at the expense of your future with Sayori, right?"

"Yeah."

"Have you even talked to Sayori about that?"

"No." Tridon quickly answered, "It's what stressed me out." Tridon took a sip of his drink and covered his face with one of his arms, "I'm scared of how she'll react. I don't want to lose my best friend..."

"Well," Monika started, "you two have been best friends for just about your whole lives. I know for a fact that just talking to her will make it easier than just hiding it from her."

"I'm just scared of how she'll react."

"It's okay to be scared Tridon." Monika turned on her side and leaned on her arm, "Nothing like this is easy. Especially when it surrounds the relationship between yourself and your best friend."

Tridon removed his arm from his face and shook his head while he took another drink. He sighed and turned to look at Monika.

He chuckled and said, "I swear. You girls make it hard to choose who I'm going to choose."

"H-Huh?"

"That's also something that's recently been stressing me out." Tridon sat up and stared at the ocean, "Who's it gonna be. That's the question that's gonna be on my mind the week of the dance. I might die from all this stress before the dance."

"I guess we did put a lot on your shoulders, but you kinda did this to yourself." Monika turned around and pouted, "If only you were still in love with only me."

"Don't be like that Monika." Tridon pleaded, "I still love you."

"I know, but I have to compete with the others." Monika sighed and sat up with Tridon, "Even so, I respect whoever you choose."

Tridon stared at Monika before falling back onto the chair, "Gah!" Tridon rubbed his head and shouted, "You might respect it, but you won't be happy! Gah!"

"Wow." Monika mumbled, "This will be hard for you."

* * *

Later that evening, Tridon and Monika joined the group back at the shoreline near the condo and were met with pouty faces and crossed arms.

"It was their idea." Tridon commented, "I don't know why they're mad."

"Because I spent the day with you and they barely got to see you." Monika wrapped around Tridon's arm again and smirked at the girls

"Monika..." Sayori growled. She ran forward and ripped the two apart, "You day with him is up!" She shoved Tridon over to the grill he set up the day before and said, "He needs to cook!"

"Haha..." Monika laughed nervously while Tridon begrudgingly started cooking dinner.

Moments after eating, the group made their way back to the condo and before Sayori moved to her room, Tridon stopped her.

"Hey bud." Sayori started, "What's up?"

"Uh..." Tridon stumbled on his words and looked over to see Monika peaking from the kitchen, "Sayori, I wanna talk about where we're going to attend college."

"Yeah. The community college. Remember?"

"I know, but Sayori..." Tridon took a deep breath and said, "I wanna attend Lingston. I want to attend it for academics and athletics."

"Yeah?"

"I know you want to stick together even through college, but I know Lingston is a hard school to get into if you aren't academically or athletically gifted." Tridon sat with Sayori on the balcony and shook his head, "I had this in thought since summer and I wanted to tell you then, but I was worried about how you would react."

"Why were worried about that?" Sayori sat next to Tridon and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Dude, I know that you have higher aspirations than me. Even now, I don't know what I want to do with my life. As for you, you've been training to get back into football for the past year. You know what you want to do. I don't."

"But I wanted to be there with you when you do figure it out."

"Hey." Sayori grasped Tridon's hand and said, "We're still best friends. Nothing is gonna separate us. Even if we're hundreds upon thousands of miles apart."

"Are you sure?"

"If you go to Lingston, I'll just flood your phone with texts and phone calls."

"And I'll be sure to respond and answer to all of them." The smiled at one another for a second before standing up and clearing there throats, "But uh, thanks for understanding Sayori. I was stressing out about this and just scared of how you would react."

"I'm your best friend." Sayori reassured Tridon and patted his back, "We'll still be together, 'till the end."

"Yeah..." Sayori walked off to her room leaving Tridon behind.

Tridon looked over to Monika who smiled at him, "You did the right thing Tridon." She walked over to him and added, "I knew it wasn't gonna be all too bad."

Tridon wanted to say something, but instead, he pulled her in for a hug.

"T-Tridon!"

"Thank you so much Monika." Tridon muttered while he hugged, "Thanks for giving me to courage to tell her."

Monika, although initially shocked, hugged him back and said, "No problem." She caressed his back and said, "No problem at all Tridon..."


	30. Beach Day 4: Sayori

"Wake up!" Sayori leaped into the air and crashed down on top of Tridon.

"Guack!"

"Haha!" Sayori laughed, "That's one of my favorite sounds!"

"How is me getting hurt one of your favorite sounds?" Tridon groaned.

"We have a big day ahead of us big guy." Sayori laid on top of Tridon and sported a thousand-watt smile, "I can't wait!"

"Can I get up though?"

"Alright." Sayori hopped off of Tridon and sat next to him, "You and I are gonna do some things today."

"What kind of things?"

"Some birthday boy things."

"My birthday is today?"

"Of course dude." Sayori squatted next to Tridon's bed and added, "You know we always go and have fun on your birthday."

"Well," Tridon sat up and move his legs to the side of his bed, allowing Sayori to rest her elbows on Tridon's thighs, "what are we gonna do?"

"Whatever you want birthday boy." Sayori answered, "The day is your oyster."

"Alright." Tridon looked down at Sayori and down at his legs, "Stop. Back up."

"What's wrong?" Sayori teased, "Don't want your best friend close to your private area?"

"Yes." Tridon moved Sayori off his thighs and the two stared at each other for a second, "Not that I mind how close you were though."

"Hey!" Natsuki shouted from his door, "What are you two doing so early."

"N-No Natsuki we were just..." Before Tridon could say anything, Tridon was booted in the face by Natsuki, "Guack!"

"Haha!" Sayori cheered, "My favorite sound again!"

* * *

Sayori and Tridon strolled along the outside of the house while Tridon rubbed the back of his neck. Sayori helped him soothe the pain and chuckled.

"I hate these stupid misunderstandings." Tridon groaned, "How many misunderstandings have there been so far?"

"Quite a few."

"Need I remind you that you've been at the helm of most of those misunderstanding beatings I've taken."

"Yes, but sometimes, you do it to yourself."

"I know I do." Tridon smiled and wrapped his arm around Sayori, "But you're still my best friend."

"And you're my best friend." Sayori slugged Tridon lightly in his chest and the two went off.

Sayori noticed a few buildings in the distance and was rather shocked, "Is that town?"

"Well, '-ish'." Tridon answered, "Just a few buildings like..." Tridon pointed over to the closest building and shouted, "An arcade!"

"Yes!" Sayori grabbed Tridon's arm and dragged him towards the building, "Let's game our hearts away!"

"Wait a second Sayori." Tridon stopped her and pointed around, "We have tons of things to do that is perfect for us."

Sayori's eyes widened as she looked around the street. Laser tag, bowling, and other activities as far as the eye could see. Which wasn't really far since everything was within an arm's reach, but Sayori was smiling ear to ear.

"So what's first?" Tridon asked.

"Laser Tag!" Sayori dragged Tridon to the laser tag building and the two were ready to go 1 on 1 in laser tag.

* * *

At the house, the girls were each holding lists named: Tridon's Surprise Party.

"Okay," Monika started, "so while Sayori is busy with Tridon today, we'll be busy setting up Tridon's surprise party."

"This will be the most amazing party ever!" Natsuki shouted, "All accompanied by some of the best pastries this boy will ever try."

"So Jen and I will work on party favors." Monika added, "Yuri, you work on refreshments and any other snacks."

"And me Monika?" Erica asked.

"I need you to get updates from Sayori and help out wherever you can." Monika responded, "Let's get going girls!"

"Whoo!"

* * *

Tridon traversed the arena in search of Sayori. He held his blaster close and stopped for a second. He looked around while hearing footsteps. He stopped and slowly looked up to see Sayori dropping down on top of him.

"Ah!" Sayori landed on top of Tridon as he screamed like a girl and fired into the vest on him, "Ow..."

"I think I win Tridon."

"Yeah. I think my 27 deaths to my 8 kills would mean that I lost."

Tridon and Sayori stared at one another while Sayori sat on top of him. The two of them stared at one another while their lips trembled. They inched closer together while puckering their lips, but they snapped out of their trance and Sayori backed away.

"I'm so sorry Tridon."

"N-No. It's my fault too..."

"No. It's my fault."

"Sayori. I leaned in first."

"I'm pretty sure I leaned in before you thought about it dude."

The two stared at each other and looked away from one another with bright red faces.

Tridon softly asked, "Do you wanna try any of the other places?"

"Y-Yeah..."

* * *

Back at the condo, Natsuki took out a massive cake and placed it on the already full kitchen counter. The kitchen counter was filled with a mountain of pastries. Cupcakes, cookies, and many other baked treats galore.

"Nice Natsuki." Monika commented, "But is he going to eat that many carbs?"

"They're mostly for Sayori." Natsuki responded.

"Right." Monika nodded and looked over at Jen who had finished setting up some football memorabilia, "Nice job Jen. Where'd you get all of this?"

"Hand crafted all of them myself."

Monika and Natsuki stared at the memorabilia and were shocked. The memorabilia consisted of paper-mache statues of top football stars like: Dan Marino, LaDainian Tomlinson, Tom Brady, and many others. This also include paper-mache statues of various NFL teams and even some college teams.

"How did you get this all done in such a short amount of time?"

"I'm not sure..." Jen tapped her chin and answered, "Continuity?"

"Continuity." Monika and Natsuki nodded in agreement while looking around.

"So where's Yuri with the snacks?" Jen asked.

The 3 of them walked over to the nearby pantry and saw Yuri standing in there confused. She stared at each shelve and would reach to grab something, but quickly backed out.

"Yuri?" Monika called out.

"I can't do it." Yuri mumbled, "I can't do it Monika."

"What?"

Yuri turned around and her hair was in tatters and her face were in distress, "I can't do it!" She shouted, "I can't pick what to put out to eat!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you understand me?! The snacks I choose will determine if he eats or not. I keep thinking chips, but that's carb heavy. Then I think about what to drink and soda came up, but it's too unhealthy for him! It's hurting my head so hard I think I'm gonna explode!" As Yuri said this, she exploded and appeared behind the girls, "What do I do?!"

"Yuri," Monika grabbed her shoulders and said, "all you need to do it empty your mind."

"Empty my mind?"

"Empty your mind of everything that isn't about Tridon, partying, and breathing." Yuri stared off into space, confusing Monika in the process, "Yuri?" She snapped her fingers in front of her face as her mouth started to drool, "She'll be fine. Let's just hope they're still having fun outside."

* * *

Tridon carried Sayori out of one of the restaurants on the street as she was bloated and in true paradise. Tridon laughed as he patted Sayori slightly bloated belly.

"Don't do that dude..." Sayori chuckled as she wrapped her arms around Tridon, "My belly feels like it'll explode if you even poke it."

"Poke." Tridon poked Sayori stomach causing her to laugh.

"Stop!"

"Pokey poke poke."

"Haha!"

Tridon set Sayori down on a nearby bench and sat with her, "Maybe we should take rest here until you're good to move on your own."

"I'm telling ya' Tridon," Sayori wrapped herself around Tridon and snuggled on him, "I can't imagine us ever being separated."

"Well, apart from college separating us in terms of distance, I don't think anyone or anything could."

"Hey dude," Sayori laid down across Tridon's thighs and asked, "about the whole choice thing for the dance uh." She turned on her back and looked at Tridon to say, "Don't worry about picking me."

"Huh?"

"I know still have big hearts for Monika and most recently, Natsuki. I'm fine with you not choosing me."

"Don't lie." Tridon booped Sayori's nose and said, "I know for sure you aren't okay with it."

"Man." Sayori hopped up and sighed, "You know me too well." Sayori leaned on her hands and sighed, "You're right. I don't like it." Sayori laid back down on top of Tridon and said, "But I have to respect it at least. You're my best friend and I wouldn't be a great best friend if I didn't respect who you chose."

"But you won't like it."

"At first I won't, but I like all of the girls. So it doesn't matter who you choose. I just know you'll be in good hands no matter who you choose."

"Right." Tridon stood up and held his hand out, "Now that we've rest, how about we go spend the rest of our time at the arcade."

"You read my mind!" Sayori jumped onto Tridon's back and shouted, "Tally-ho!"

"Ho!" Tridon shouted as he ran to the arcade.

* * *

Back at the condo, Erica set down some more sweets and snacks onto the table and saw Monika with a clipboard in hand and a pen in her hair.

"Monika?" She called out.

"Everything is just about going as planned." Monika smiled and hugged the clipboard, "This party will really knock his socks off. And if we're lucky, his clothes." Monika squeeled and hopped up and down, "Whoo!"

"Calm down Monika."

An explosion was heard from inside the pantry, shocking both Monika and Erica. The two of them ran to the pantry to see a massive blob-monster grabbing a hold of Yuri.

"Yuri?!" Monika shouted, "What happened?!"

"Well, my brain decided to shred everything that didn't deal with Tridon, partying, and breathing. This included common sense." Yuri sighed as the monster roared, "You girls might wanna run. Oh, and call Tridon!"

* * *

At the arcade, Tridon and Sayori had practically played every game in record time and the last machine was a massive picture taker. However, this picture taker was unique. It took one picture and it was for those close to one another.

"Wanna do it?" Tridon asked.

"Yeah." Sayori shyly agreed, "Let's go."

The two of them walked inside and stared at one another. They smiled at one another. The screen in front of them told them to get ready as it showed them staring at one another.

"Sayori," Tridon started, "I think I..."

Sayori leaned in and pecked Tridon on the lips and smiled at him, "I didn't have time to get a real present, so let's say that kiss was my present to you."

"Haha." Tridon chuckled, "One of the better gifts you've gotten me."

"I know." Sayori smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around Tridon, "Now let's take this picture."

They both looked at the screen and Tridon put the peace sign above Sayori's head while Sayori snuggled Tridon and took the picture.

* * *

After the picture, the two of them proceeded to walk back to the condo just before the sun could set. The two of them took their time so that they could spend more time with one another.

"I'm glad were able to do this." Tridon started, "We don't get to do stuff like this as much as we used to."

"Yeah." Sayori frowned and mumbled, "Maybe it was a bad idea to make you join the club."

"Don't say that." Tridon bopped Sayori on her head and said, "Joining this club might've been my saving grace?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Tridon quickly responded, "Let's just head back to the condo before the others beat me into oblivion again." However, while walking, they felt the ground shake, "Something tells me that us being out here is the least of our problem."

"Oh right..." Sayori muttered to herself, "Forgot about the thing."

"Are you throwing another surprise party for me Sayori?"

"Not no?"

"Oh lord..." The two of them sprinted towards the house and saw the girls all fighting a massive blob monster, "Who opened the blob monster container?!" Tridon shouted.

"Why do you have that in the first place?!" Erica shouted.

"Tridon!" Natsuki yelled, "Snap us out of here!"

"Right." However, just Tridon was about to snap, the monster scooped him up and swallowed him, "Ah!"

"No!" The girls yelled.

"Get me out of this thing!" Tridon yelled from inside the monster, causing the monster to punch itself in the gut, "Ow!"

"What do we do?" Yuri asked, "We can't do anything if we don't have anything to fight this thing with."

"Just free my hand so I snap us out of here!" Tridon shouted again, but the monster punched itself again causing Tridon to shout, "Okay is this really necessary?!"

"Idea!" Sayori snapped her fingers and took out a long rope, "I'll tie myself with this rope and you girls pull me out when I tug on it." Sayori threw the other end to the girls and psyched herself up, "Let's do this!" Sayori sprinted at the monster and dove into it.

"Hey Sayori." Tridon greeted, "How's it going?"

"Oh you know," Sayori answered while hanging upside down, "just hanging around."

"Boo." Tridon laughed and asked, "Didn't we make this joke already?"

"Yeah. I don't think the writer was ready to come back from his break."

"That or he doesn't keep up with what he does."

"At least he gets to self-roast himself through our dialogue." Sayori laughed, "Anyway, I'm here to safe you."

"Yeah well," Tridon looked up at Sayori and said, "I don't think I can jump that high."

"You know," Sayori started, "I underestimated the viscosity of this monster. Why do you have this monster stored away anyway?"

"Remember when I said making this place might've made my power unstable?"

"Yeah."

"That was the result of the instability I was talking about."

"Nice."

"Can you snap?" Tridon looked down at his arms and tried to move, "Right." She looked around and said, "So what do we do?"

"Can you try and shimmy down here so I can grab on."

"Then I can pull you out." Sayori nodded and started to squirm while being tied to the ropes, "I got this..." Sayori eventually got within arms of Tridon and said, "Grab on."

"Sayori..."

"Right." Sayori shimmied more and was able to grab Tridon's hair, "This is gonna hurt."

"I've already been punched by this monster, so I think I'm fine." Tridon felt Sayori pull once and winced a little.

"Are you sure?"

"Let me go to a happy..." Sayori pulled once quickly and Tridon's arm was free, "Ah!" Tridon quickly snapped and the group appeared in Tridon's house. Tridon laid face first on the ground while the girls fell back while holding the rope and Sayori landing on top of Tridon.

"I did it!" Sayori cheered, "I got him freed and he snapped us back to our reality!"

"Mmmph..." Tridon attempted to say something, but was muffled.

"Sorry." Sayori hopped off and helped him up, "You're welcome."

"Thanks."

"And happy birthday?" Sayori chuckled nervously as she looked around, "What about the party we set up?"

"Don't tell me we did that all for nothing." Natsuki growled, "I did not spend the whole day baking for nothing!"

"I didn't spend the short amount of time I spent on those decorations for nothing!" Jen shouted.

"Sayori..." Tridon backed up and Sayori stopped him, "Huh?"

"I gotchu'." Sayori hauled Tridon over her shoulders and ran off, "I'll save you my best friend!"

"Thank you Sayori!"

"Get him!" The other girls chased the two while Sayori and Tridon laughed hysterically.


	31. What Are They Doing? (Filler)

A week after their beach adventures, Tridon hadn't been seen at the club since then. Jen has also been absent from club meetings and the girls grew suspicious.

"Sayori," Monika started, "have you talked to Tridon about why he hasn't shown up?"

"He says he's doing some sort of project with Jen." She answered, "But he hasn't told me what it is."

"I don't like it." Natsuki mumbled while leaning on the tree, "He's suppose to be here..."

"I'll try calling him." Sayori took out her phone and started calling Tridon. She waited for a second, but it went almost immediately to a voice mail, "What? He's never hung up on me ever."

"Voice mail?" Yuri questioned.

"Almost immediately. Almost like he didn't even look at who called before he declined it." Sayori sighed and placed her phone down, "What's he doing with Jen?"

Almost as if on queue, the girls saw Tridon and Jen walking into the school holding several boxes and containers. The two didn't notice the girls, but they definitely noticed them.

"Was that weird?" Erica asked the girls who were already gone, "And they're already going to spy on them."

Erica joined the girls as they watched the two enter the arts and craft classroom. The 5 of them peaked their heads into the window to see what they were doing.

"Okay so are you sure this will be perfect for this weekend?" Tridon asked Jen as he placed some of the boxes on top of one of the tables.

"I know for sure it'll be perfect." Jen responded, "It's only if you want it to look perfect."

"Alright. First," Tridon walked over to the door and waved at the girls, "we have to make sure some people don't ruin the surprise." Tridon slowly pulled the curtains down to block the view of the girls.

"No!" Sayori shouted, "We'll find out what you two are doing in there Pierce!"

Tridon sighed and turned to Jen, "Let's get to work."

* * *

Moments later, the girls were carrying a tall ladder towards the window of the arts and craft room.

"Sayori," Monika started, "this seems a little overboard."

"I will not stand idly by while my best friend in a room alone with another girl!"

"Why is it different with Jen?" Yuri asked, "He won't try anything with her."

"If I know my best friend, I know that he likes 'em shy sometimes. Why do you think he liked you so fast Yuri?"

"H-Huh?"

"Can we just set up the ladder before he catches us." Natsuki groaned.

"Yeah." Erica agreed, "The last thing I want is for him to catch us trying to spy on him again."

"Too late." Tridon said from above them, "Nice ladder." Tridon snapped his fingers and the ladder disappeared, "But those are dangerous to climb."

"Just tell us what you're doing!" Sayori ordered.

"Can't. It's a surprise."

"No!" Sayori fell to her knees and mumbled to herself, "He knows I hate surprises and he still insists on keeping this from me."

"We'll deal with her." Monika chuckled nervously while they dragged Sayori away.

* * *

Later that week, Tridon and Jen arrived back at his house and was met with the rest of club. Sayori at the helm of them pouting and glaring at him.

"Mmm..." She tremored in front of him.

"Sayori," Tridon hid something behind his back and asked, "do you remember what today is?"

"Friday?"

"No."

"2 weeks before December?"

"No." He took out what he was hiding and said, "Today marks the day that we first met 15 years ago."

"What?"

"Yeah. Every year you got me something awesome, so this year, I wanted to get you something awesome." He handed Sayori what looked to scrapbook and said, "It's not the best. It was kinda last minute and we didn't have enough time to plan it out."

"I helped Tridon put it together." Jen added, "I hope you didn't get any wrong ideas."

Sayori flipped through the scrapbook of their memories and instantly teared up, "Tridon..." She whimpered before tackling him for a hug, "I love it..."

"I'm glad you do." Tridon hugged her back and rubbed her back, "I would do anything for my best friend."

"I'm glad you're my best friend."

"Me too..."


	32. Trapped

Tridon and Yuri drove along the outskirts of the town with a certain type of equipment in his trunk.

"So explain to me what we're doing again Yuri." Tridon asked.

"We have to take pictures and draw the Autumn Sunset." Yuri answered, "You're taking the pictures and I'm drawing."

"Okay, but why now?" He asked again, "Why on the coldest day it's been so far."

"I brought some hot chocolate and tea in our thermoses." Yuri responded, "And if we get any colder, I bought some heavier winter jackets and a blanket so we won't be too cold."

"Whatever." Tridon sighed and looked out his side window while driving, "At least we're going to a nice area."

"You know this is our final big project before Finals." Yuri interrupted, "I don't want you to screw it up like you did the last project."

"Need I remind you that you turned in late which caused the teacher to deduct more points, right?"

"N-No..."

"You're lucky she was lenient and only gave us a 93 on it." Tridon added, "This time though, we gotta go for a hundred."

"Yes and I found the perfect spot earlier today while in the library. Hopefully it doesn't rain and ruins our project."

"I'd hate to get to get stuck in this cold while wet." Tridon stopped the car as they approached the forest entrance, "Well, we're here." Tridon started, "Let's start getting out gear our, then we'll make the trek to the spot."

"Alright."

* * *

The two of them eventually got their hiking bags and other equipment on their persons before making their way up the trail.

"So how far is this spot Yuri?"

"My directions say that it's 10 minutes from the entrance." Yuri answered, "Not too far."

"Cool." Tridon shivered slightly and blew into his hands, "I get cold easily and we're heading into high elevation. It's going to be colder and harder to breath the higher we go."

"Are you going to be fine Tridon?"

"I'll be more than fine." Tridon responded slowly, "I've hiked here a few times before. Well, just not when it's sub-30 degrees." Tridon paused and added, "Fahrenheit. Not Celsius."

"I figured some would understand what you meant." Yuri stated, "I don't think you needed to clarify which measurement of temperature you meant."

"Yeah, but I just wanted to make it clear as to which measurement I was talking about." Tridon sighed and looked up the path, "Still. It's cold."

"Do you want one of the heavier jackets?"

"No." Tridon declined as he snuggled more into his current jacket, "I'll tell you if I need it."

* * *

After travelling further up the path, they eventually met a short divergence in the path and Yuri stopped.

"It's this way. This path should lead to a end where we get a perfect few of the forest and the sunset."

"Alright," Tridon nodded and walked ahead, "let's get moving so we're not out here late."

"Sure."

* * *

After travelling a little further down the path, they approached the end and were met with the sun just peaking above the trees.

"Here we are." Yuri started, "Just set up the camera wherever you need to and I'll start drawing."

"Alright." Tridon put his bag down and took out many different cameras, "Do you need a chair or something to sit on?"

"No." Yuri sat down on a nearby rock and took out some art supplies, "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure Tridon." Yuri took off her gloves and got to work drawing, "This view is beautiful isn't it?"

"It sure is." Tridon sighed as he finished setting up the final camera, "I can't take any pictures with some of these cameras yet, but I think this one could be ready."

"Really?"

"I would ask you to come look, but you're in the middle of drawing. I'll take some and we'll look at 'em afterwards."

"Alrighty."

There was an air of silence around them. Tridon periodically observed each camera while Yuri drew the view. She sighed in bliss and stared at Tridon.

"Yes Yuri?"

"I just love nature." Yuri started, "Even if it's chilly right now, I love the view." Yuri placed her pad down and stood up, "Look at this view. It's just extremely great to take in."

"No doubt about that." Tridon looked down at Yuri who's eyes were glistening brightly, "You look adorable right now."

"H-Huh?" Yuri stumbled on her words and twirled her hair around, "I uh..."

"Sorry. Just thought that seeing you so enthralled with nature made you look cute. With your eyes glistening and that cute smile on that face just..." Tridon chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "It makes you look absolutely adorable."

"Haha..." Yuri shied away from Tridon while she walked back to her rock, "Thank you Tridon."

"No problem." Tridon took some more pictures of forest and turned to Yuri, "How's the drawing coming along?"

"It's coming along well." Yuri showed Tridon the picture of the forest and Tridon was taken aback by the picture, "Holy sh..." Tridon stopped himself and said, "That's beautiful Yuri. I'd buy that picture if I saw it somewhere."

"Thank you Tridon." Yuri chuckled and drew a little more, "I'm just about done."

"I think I have enough pictures for our project. So we're good here too." Tridon's phone went off and he took it out, "Yuri, we have a storm on the way."

"Well, I can finish the rest at home. We can get going now if you want."

"Yeah. Help me get these cameras back in the bags." Tridon quickly broke down each camera and tripod while Yuri helped him. Distant thundering and lightning strikes could be seen and heard as they moved quickly.

"Do we have everything?" Yuri asked.

"We should." Tridon looked around and nodded, "That's everything. Let's get going."

* * *

Tridon and Yuri quickly made their way down the path just as the storm got over them. The light sprinkles quickly turned to a downpour. Yuri quickly got in the car, but Tridon stopped.

"Tridon!" Yuri shouted, "What's wrong?"

"The... cold..." Tridon shook his head and slowly walked to the driver side. He opened the door and sat inside.

Yuri watched as Tridon visibly shook, "Tridon?"

"I-I'll be fine when the heater is on..." Tridon put the keys in the car and turned it. However, the car didn't start. Nothing came on. Tridon repeatedly tried to start the car to no avail, "I-I think..." Tridon paused and continued, "The, the battery is dead."

"Tridon," Yuri worriedly started, "you don't look very good."

"C-Call.. Sayori..." Tridon eyes slowly shut as he fell onto his steering wheel.

"Tridon!" Yuri quickly took off her own jacket and placed it around Tridon, "Oh no..." Yuri took out her phone and proceeded calling Sayori, "Come on pick up."

"Yeah Yuri?" Sayori started, "What's up?"

"Sayori. I need your help!"

"What's wrong?" Sayori walked out towards her window and noticed Tridon's car gone, "Are you guys still at the mountain pass?!"

"Yes and we're stuck here! Tridon's car isn't starting and he's out."

"Oh no." Sayori scratched her head and quickly grabbed a jacket and pants from her closet, "I'll get some help. Just keep him warm. Do whatever you can. Cover him in jackets, blankets, whatever you have. Cuddle with him if you have to! Just keep him warm."

"B-But Sayori..." Yuri couldn't even say anything else before she hung up, "Keep him warm?" Yuri looked in the back and dug through the bags she brought. She took out some jackets and placed them around Tridon, "I can't keep him warm enough because this place is getting colder by the second."

"Y-Yuri..." Tridon weekly started, "You need... to stay w-warm..."

Yuri gritted her teeth and shook her head, "You're worse than me. You need to stay warm." Yuri crawled to the backseat and searched through the trunk, "I'm going to keep you warm even if it kills me."

"No Y-Yuri..."

"Hush." Yuri demanded as she brought a blanket out. She grabbed Tridon and asked, "Can you move?"

"Not very much. The, the cold is m-making it hard..."

"Come on." Yuri helped Tridon move to the backseats, "I'll have to warm us both up." Yuri placed the blanket around the both of them and she started to hug Tridon, "Maybe uh..."

"W-What are you...?"

"I'm sorry." Yuri started to unzip the jackets on Tridon and cuddled with him harder. She placed the jackets around them, followed by the blanket, "I have to get direct body heat to you. I'm sorry."

"A-As long as y-youre warm. I'll be f-f-fine."

"Please don't go Tridon..." Yuri hugged Tridon harder while Tridon shivered more aggressively, "Please Tridon..."

"Y-Yuri..." Tridon stuttered, "Th-Thank you..." Tridon's eyes shut slowly causing Yuri to worry.

"No. Tridon!" Yuri shook Tridon fiercely to wake him up, "Don't go on me! Don't you go on me!" Yuri teared up and cuddled Tridon harder, "No..." She shook head and fell silent. She gripped the blanket around them and muttered, "My body heat... is dropping too..."

Yuri felt her eyes grow heavy until she heard the distant sound of a car horn. Her eyes jolted open when she saw the car lights rise over the horizon. She looked over to Tridon and held him tight.

"We have help... now..."

* * *

Yuri's eyes shot open and she looked around. Although confused at first, she quickly distinguished that she was indeed in a hospital room.

"I'm in the hospital." She muttered to herself, "Did we...?"

"Yuri!" She heard Sayori shout, "You're okay!" Sayori tackled Yuri with a hug while she was still initially confused, "We're so glad you're okay."

"Don't worry again like that you two." Natsuki muttered, "Didn't you two check the weather before you went?"

"W-We checked..." Yuri responded, "Where's Tridon?"

"He's next to you." Monika answered as she stepped out the way to show Tridon waving at her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now Yuri." Tridon answered, "But what about you? You still seem a little out of it."

"It's just it looked like we almost lost you." Yuri muttered, "You just weren't there. You were shivering violently and you were..."

"Yuri," Sayori stopped Yuri before she could go on and on to say, "while it's true that Tridon was bad, you were just as worse as him. The both of you were in pretty bad shape."

"Our teacher is also giving us a free grade for what happened, so we pretty much did that for nothing." Tridon sighed while he nodded to Monika, "But who says we still can't keep the pictures we got."

Monika handed Yuri the pictures Tridon took, "They're absolutely beautiful." Monika commented, "Even with the storm clouds in the background."

"They do look gorgeous."

"This looks gorgeous too." Tridon handed Yuri's drawing to Monika who then handed it Yuri, "I put the finishing touches on it."

Yuri's mouth held agape when she saw that Tridon added her drawing and admiring the same landscape she was amazed by earlier.

"Tridon," Yuri teared up, "if I could get up, I would hug you right now."

"We're still getting our pictures put on display at school." Tridon moved to stand up and was supported by Monika, "We're getting the top spot."

"I don't know what to say except," Yuri hugged the painting and looked at Tridon with a bright smile, "thank you Tridon."

"No problem."

"We want to thank you too." Everyone turned towards the door to see Lucy along with an older woman.

"Mom?" Tridon started.

"Y-Your mother?" Yuri, Monika, and Natsuki all stutter in unison.

"We want to thank you so much for helping our son." Tridon's mom started, "We always warned him about going into cold weather and being sure to check the weather before doing anything outdoors."

"Mom..." Tridon groaned, "I checked multiple times and it said that it would be clear."

"We're just glad you're safe now little bro." Lucy pushed Monika out the way and bear hugged Tridon, "I was so worried."

"Stop hugging me woman!" Tridon tried to push Lucy off, but the two fell back onto his hospital bed and proceeded to cuddle even more.

"So I understand that my son will make a choice on who he will officially date, right?"

"That's right Mrs. Pierce." Sayori smiled, "We're all pretty anxious about who he'll choose."

"Oh," Tridon's mom chuckled, "I already know. A mother always knows."

"What?!" The girls exclaim, "Who?!"

"Why would I tell all of you?" She chuckled, "It would ruin the surprise." She turned around and said, "Come on Lucy, leave your brother to rest and be with his friends."

"Oh fine." Lucy gave Tridon one massive smooch on his cheek before hopping up, "Good luck figuring out who he's asking?" Lucy winked and left with her mom.

"Geez." Tridon wiped his cheek and sighed, "It's been a while since my sis has seen me, so I'll allow all that." Tridon looked up and looked at the girls who were all blushing, "Did I miss something?"

* * *

-Epilogue-

Erica sat in a booth of a restaurant while sipping a glass of water. Behind her in the other booth, a man dropped something next to her before standing up and leaving.

She looked down at it and saw a phone number on it. She scoffed as took out her phone and proceeded to call said number. Above the number were the initials E.C.

Jen watched from outside the restaurant with Tiffany at her side. Jen looked up at Tiffany who nodded at her. Jen nodded back before running off.

"So that's your game huh?" Tiffany scoffed and flipped her hair before walking off in the opposite direction of where Jen ran off to.


	33. One Last Adventure For The Year

Tridon walked towards the tree and stared at it. He rubbed his hands together and sighed. He turned around and made his way inside.

"Tridon!" Sayori called out, "We're having the meeting outside!"

"What?" Tridon looked around and blew into his hands, "I thought we would go inside when the weather got cooler or if it was storming. Why are we staying out here?"

"Well," Monika started from behind Sayori, "our last adventure seems to be taking place in something rather temperate. So I think we'll be fine to have our last adventure for the year here."

"Where's everyone else?" Tridon asked.

"We're here." Natsuki called out with Yuri and Jen with her, "And we're ready for our final adventure!"

"Alright." Tridon chuckled. He looked down at his hands and sighed, "It's been a fun semester. One of the best ever, and I'm glad I was able to spend it with all of you." Tridon looked around for Erica and asked, "Where's Erica been? I haven't seen her for a while."

"We haven't seen her either." Sayori answered, "It's weird. She talked about how much she wanted to make up to you and she's not here."

"Well," Tridon started, "we're going to be having the best adventure ever and she's going to miss it!"

"What's our final adventure of the year gonna be?" Yuri asked, "I'm sure it'll be one of the biggest adventures we've had so far."

"Here we go!" Tridon snapped his fingers and the group were teleported to a massive metropolis.

The group wore a school uniform different from there uniform. This uniform had the girls where black and white plaid, pleated skirts while Tridon wore light navy blue pants. The tops were dark navy blue with regular white dress shirts with a tie for Tridon and a dark navy blue bowtie for the girls.

"What is this Tridon?" Monika questioned.

"I don't know to be honest." Tridon answered, "I just thought that we'd wing it through our last adventure."

"Okay."

"Oh!" Natsuki grabbed Tridon and whispered in his ear. She backed up and asked, "Got it?"

"I think so." Tridon snapped his fingers and what appeared were bracelets on their wrists sporting a different colored gem for each girl, "Is this what you wanted Natsuki?"

"That's right." Natsuki gave Tridon a thumbs up and smiled at him.

"Okay." Tridon thought to himself and nodded, "Alright, so give yourself an element and guardian animal that would go with your gem. I'll start." Tridon snapped his fingers and immediately pressed his gem, "I harbor the power of Fire and Dragon!" Tridon erupted in a sea of flames and burst out of the flames sporting a bright red suit/armor.

"Ooo." Monika cooed as she rubbed Tridon's arm, "The suit really brings out your muscles."

"Heel Monika." Sayori pulled Monika back and smiled at Tridon, "But I got my stuff next!" She shouted, "The power of Water and Shark!"

Tridon snapped his fingers and Sayori erupted with water surrounding her. She flipped and jumped on top of Tridon's shoulders and rested on it.

"Thanks best friend."

"Anytime."

The two fist bumped while the others watched.

"I think I'll like to have the power of Shadow and a Bat."

"Odd, but I understand." Tridon snapped his fingers and Yuri disappeared in a dark void and exploded out of it sporting a dark purple and black suit with some cleavage showing, "Uh..." Tridon stared at Yuri and held his mouth open, "Wow..."

"Stop ogling her." Sayori pinched Tridon's cheek and spun him around, "Idiot."

"This feels nice..." Yuri shyly stated.

"I'm next!" Natsuki shouted, "But if you sexualize me in anyway, Sayori and I will tear your arms off and beat you with them." Natsuki then whispered in Tridon's ear, "But I'll let you keep it on me regardless."

Tridon stiffened up and turned to Natsuki who winked at him, "A-Alright..." Tridon snapped his fingers and the ground around her shook before surrounding her. She punched the wall around her and burst out wearing a suit similar to Sayori except it was colored pink, "Is that fine?"

"Y-Yeah..." Natsuki sighed and smiled at Tridon, _"Truth be told, I wanted him to sexualize me a little more. Curse my kid-like frame."_

"Jen, Monika," Tridon looked at the two and asked, "what do you two want to be?"

"Me!" Monika shouted, "I want the power of..."

"I already know what you want Monika." Tridon snapped his fingers and a tornado formed around Monika before dispersing and revealing Monika wearing a suit similar to Yuri, minus the cleavage and that her suit was a light green, "Like it?"

Monika looked over at Yuri and pouted, "It's fine." She perked up and asked, "What's my guardian animal and element."

"Well, you can take a guess based on the tornado that your element is wind, but your guardian animal is a quetzal."

"Aw." Monika cooed, "I love quetzals."

"I know. I kinda got a peak at the yearbook bio you submitted last week."

"W-What?!" She exclaimed, "Y-You didn't read it all did you?"

"No. Just that part mostly before I got caught peeking." Tridon chuckled and looked at Jen, "And you Jen?"

"Well, my gem is white, so Ice and Seal."

"A seal?" Tridon nodded and snapped his fingers causing shards of ice to surround Jen and explode revealing her in a suit similar to Sayori, except white, "Nice."

"It feels nice." Jen commented.

"Okay. As for weapons, when you hover your hand over your gem like so," Tridon quickly hover his hand over his gem and an arm blade manifested itself out of thin air, "you'll see what your weapon is. How it manifests varies based on the weapon I gave you."

"Me first! Natsuki exclaimed, "Whoo!" Natsuki hovered her hands over her gem and what appeared in her hands was a sword with the blade tinted a bright brown among the metal, "Cool."

"Alright." Tridon nodded, "Who's next?"

"Me!" Sayori shouted and as she did shout, Tridon placed her back on the ground, "What?"

"Your weapon is long and I don't want to be hit by it accidentally."

"Alright." Sayori hovered her hand over the gem and a trident manifested in her hand, "Ooo." Sayori stared at the trident and looked at Tridon, "It's awesome!"

"Cool. Yuri?" Tridon asked.

"Alright." Yuri slowly, yet quickly hovered her hand over her gem, manifesting two sharp, metal fans, "Fans?" Yuri touched them and flinched, "Ouch."

"Be careful Yuri." Tridon warned, "Those things are as sharp as a sword."

"I understand that now."

"Me now!" Monika shouted while hovering her hand over gem. A bow appeared in her hand along with a quiver on her back, "A bow. Just my style." Monika twirled around and towards Tridon, "I'll be sure to assist you from a range."

"Odd way to flirt with someone, but okay." Tridon chuckled and look at Jen, "And lastly, Jen."

"Alright." Jen hovered her hand over her gem and closed her eyes. A bundle of throwing knives appeared in her hands when she opened them again, "Throwing knives?"

"Yeah. So we have two supports, 2 damage, and 1 flex."

"What?" The girls asked.

"Don't think about it too much." Tridon turned around as the guy turned a dark crimson red, "Uh..."

"Wow Tridon," Sayori started, "you're so good at using your power now that you don't even need to snap your fingers to change anything."

"This wasn't my doing." Tridon looked to his left to see a massive, dark, beam coming straight at him, "Oh shi-!" The beam collided with Tridon, sending him crashing into a nearby building.

"Tridon!" The girls shout.

"Hahahaha!" A loud, psychotic cackle was heard from where the beam came as a figured walked towards them, "Thanks for giving me life you idiot."

"Is that?" Sayori squinted and her eyes widened when she questioned, "Who's that?"

"Whoo..." The hooded figure scoffed, "I don't need to answer to you. Let's just say I'm a better version of that fool I just destroyed.

"Way to toot your own horn." Natsuki growled, "Only someone who is worse than the other would say that."

"W-What?!" The hooded figure shouted, "Can the worse one do this!" The hooded figure stomped the ground and a massive wave of darkness was sent in Natsuki direction.

"Uh oh..."

"I'll redirect it Natsuki!" Sayori threw her trident to the ground and hopped onto it. A massive wave formed underneath it and Sayori began to ride the wave, "Shark Wave Driver!" This completely engulfed the wave of darkness, dispersing it from sight, "Ha!"

"Oh come on!"

"Over here buddy." Tridon charged at the hooded and the two met in deadlock. The hooded figure wielded two blades and held Tridon back with only one of them while the real Tridon used all of his force, "Wow you're strong..."

"Like I said," the hooded figure smirked and kicked Tridon back, "I'm better than you!" The hooded figure formed a ball of electricity at the tip of his swords and was about to launch it at Tridon, but Monika hopped over him.

"Not on my watch!" Monika shot her bow and shouted, "Tempestuous Whirlwind Driver!" A massive upside down tornado engulfed the hooded figure, "Now Yuri!"

"Tenebrosity Slicer!" Yuri shouted as she threw both of her fans through the tornado, hitting the hooded figure and carrying him outside, "Now you Natsuki!"

"Cutting Earth Fracture!" Natsuki's sword doubled in size as sliced the hooded figure, "You hit him now Jen!"

"On it!" Jen leaped into the air and her knives glowed a bright white color, "Icicle Blind Driver!" The knives shot from her hand and collided at and around the hooded figure, erupting a massive explosion, "Tridon! Go!"

"I'm already on it." Tridon was then lifted into the air with the assistance of an air tornado before using the momentum to leap high into the air above everyone. They looked at him with awe as he shot down from sky shouting, "Dragon Emperor Soaring Soul Crusher!" A massive flame vortex surrounded Tridon the faster he moved towards the hooded figure before he finally collided with the ground.

A massive explosion sent every single girl back and a massive shockwave destroying the windows of nearby building and even causing the ground around the impact to cave in immensely. A massive smoke cloud surrounded Tridon as the girls ran over to him one they regained their footing.

"Tridon!" Sayori shouted, "Are you okay?!"

"I'm good." Tridon weekly answered, "But he's gone."

"Did you get him?" Monika asked.

"No. The world would've gone back to normal if I did." Tridon took a deep breath and sighed, "He's still out there." He looked at the girls and apologized, "I'm sorry girls, but I guess my heavily unstable world created an evil version of me."

"An evil version?"

"So we were attacking you?" Natsuki asked, "That was you..."

"An evil version of me." Tridon corrected, "This evil version of me houses all of my rage and negative thoughts into one." Tridon de-manifested his arm blade and balled his fists, "It's all the negative emotions I keep bottled inside."

The girls de-manifested their weapons too and surrounded Tridon. Who loomed badly while staring at the ground.

"You girls are gonna see a side of me I never wanted you lot to see." Tridon grabbed his arm and sighed, "The bad side of me that might ruin my relationship with all of you."

"Tridon," Sayori placed her hand on Tridon's and said, "no matter what, that you isn't the one we know and come to care about." Sayori smiled at Tridon who shied away from her.

"She's right Tridon." Monika agreed, "That 'evil' you isn't the real you."

"Besides," Natsuki started, "if you ever need to vent out to us, we're always here for you."

"We're here for you just as you're here for us." Yuri added.

Jen watched the four and though to herself, _"They're so close. Why would Erica want to destroy this closeness? This friendship? Is she jealous of their relationship?"_

Tridon took a deep breath and nodded, "Alright," Tridon looked at his gem and then to the girls, "when we channel our energy into our gems, our spirit animals will appear. My spirit animal, Sayori's, and Natsuki's can be ridden. However, Monika, Yuri, and Jen, you 3 will have to ride with each of us while we go searching for the evil me."

"I got Tridon!" Monika and Yuri shout before pouting and glaring at one another, "I'm riding with him! No me!"

"Hey you two." Tridon stepped in between them and said, "Just flip a coin." Tridon handed Yuri a coin and said, "Flip it."

Yuri stared at the coin and flipped it. Just as the coin in between their faces, Tridon caught it in mid-air. He stared at the two and slapped the coin on his hand.

"Who wants what?"

"I'll take heads." Monika answered.

"Then I'm tails..."

"Okay," Tridon smirked and muttered, "that's what I get from each of you based on whatever it lands on."

"A-Ah..." Monika and Yuri stuttered while blushing madly causing Sayori to suplex him, releasing the coin in the process.

Natsuki grabbed it and said, "It landed on..."

* * *

Moments later, Monika sat on Sayori's shark while crossing her arms and pouting. Yuri held onto Tridon as the two rode on his dragon.

Jen rode with Natsuki on her tiger and watched the two. They shrugged at one another while they were moving around the city.

"Alright," Tridon started, "my evil double is hiding his appearance with his hood. However, our guardian animals will be able to find him." After Tridon said this, a massive explosion in the distance.

"Or we could check that out." Natsuki commented.

"Let's go." The group changed their direction and towards area of the explosion.

On the ground, the evil Tridon walked around while firing dark beams at buildings and destroying them. He cackled loudly while firing beams endlessly.

"Stop!" Tridon shouted as the club landed in front of him, "I won't permit any further destruction here today!"

"Hmph." The evil Tridon aimed at the group and fired.

"Uh oh..." Tridon backed up and shouted, "Run!" Tridon leaped away followed by the girls, "I'll get him first!" Tridon dove towards his evil counterpart and the two fought.

The girls stared watching the two fight and were initially hesitant to fight. All but one girl was ready to help and that was Jen.

"What's wrong?" She asked, "He needs our help."

"R-Right..." The others respond.

Jen pushed forward and threw some knives at the evil Tridon. The evil Tridon dodged her attacks and fired beams at her. The girls, however, still refused to fight.

Tridon blocked a barrage of attacks from his evil counter part, but that counterpart split into 3 different copies and surrounded him. Tridon spun around and surrounded himself in a flame vortex.

"I'd really like some help you 4!" Tridon shouted.

"But he's you..." Monika responded, "The more I look at him the more I see Tridon. Our Tridon."

Sayori shut her eyes and shook her head.

"We can't just stand here though." Yuri added, "Our friends are in danger. The person we love is in danger."

"But can we hurt someone that looks exactly like him despite how this copy acts?" Natsuki added, "We can't do that."

"Gosh!" Sayori finally shouted, "You girls need to figure it out. The one we all love is there. That copy isn't the one we love. We love that idiotic goofball right there." Sayori smiled and glared at the evil copy, "Our real friend is in danger. My best friend. I'm not going to let this **fake** hurt him!" Sayori spawned her shark and a tidal wave formed under her.

She charged forward just as Tridon's vortex dispersed and hung her wave over them. She then shouted, "Crushing Tidal Wave!" Tridon jumped out of the way just as the wave crashed down on his evil double.

The evil double was knocked back while Jen appeared behind him. She stuck him with multiple knives and jumped away, "Icicle Thorn Exploder!" The knives exploded, sending him flying.

Natsuki caught him at the tip of her sword and glared at him, "Earth Shard!" Natsuki threw Tridon's evil counterpart at the ground and held her hand out allowing shards of rocks to be shot out of her hand at Tridon's evil counterpart.

Monika mouth shook before she jumped into the air and shouted, "Gale Force Driver!" She shot 4 arrows that turned into tornadoes. The tornadoes sucked him up and sent him into the air.

Yuri spun and threw her fans yelling, "Engulfed Darkness!" The evil Tridon was then engulfed in a sea of darkness before being spat out.

"My turn..." Tridon mumbled. His blade flowed a dark crimson red as he jolted towards his evilself. He shouted the closer he got, "Dragon Emperor Searing Fang!" Tridon sliced straight through his evil counterpart, causing him to fall lifeless onto the ground.

Tridon landed back on the ground behind his, assumed dead, counterpart. However, to everyone's surprise, the evil counterpart proceeded to put its body back together.

"What the hell?" Tridon groaned, "A healing factor?!"

"I must commend the power," his evil counterpart began, "of one of you at least."

"Huh?" Tridon stepped forward, but felt all the power from his body instantly disappear. He collapsed to his knees and grabbed his chest, "Ah..." He groaned in pain.

"Tridon!" Sayori tried to run over to Tridon, but was stopped by an unseen force. She was sent back and caught by the others.

"As a reward for showing me your amazing power, I'll be sure to take your power and take your spot as Tridon in the real world."

"Ah!" Tridon roared in pain as he fell onto the ground.

"No! Tridon!"

"You were just so stupid. All of you. Did you really think you could take me out? You're all to soft to take me out. Especially you." The evil Tridon glared at the real Tridon and smirked, "Now I'll finish you right now." The evil Tridon punched the ground, causing multiple explosions of dark matter to shoot up from the air.

"Not on my watch!" Behind Tridon, Tiffany came down on a zipline and dropped a small device near Tridon. After it landed, a dome surrounded him, shielding him from the dark matter.

"What?!"

"Tiff!" The girls yell.

Tiffany landed on top of the dome and said, "Did you really think I'd let you hurt, let alone kill him? Fat chance." The dome converged into the device again and she threw the device behind the evil Tridon, causing a small explosion, "Do it now girls! Hit him at the same time!" Tiffany dropped another device, surrounding both herself and Tridon.

"Let's do it girls." Sayori started, "Let's kill this thing."

"Right!"

The girls all prepared their special moves while the evil Tridon cowered and looked off to the side. He held up a sign saying 'HELP' just as everyone single girls' special moves dropped on top of him.

At the same time, the world around them shook before changing back to their world where they all stood outside the school. They ran to the dome just as it disappeared again.

"Is he okay?" Sayori quickly asked.

"He's fine." Tiffany answered.

Tridon sat up and rubbed his head, "I'm so glad this is the final adventure for the year." Tridon slowly stood up with the support of Tiffany and said, "How about we don't do an adventure until maybe 2 weeks after the next semester begins."

"You need to gain better control of your power." Tiffany stated, "You can't just keep using the way you have been this semester. You've never used this much ever before, so you're body isn't used to it being pushed this much."

"Tiff," Monika started, "is there a way to maybe speed up the process on having him learn better control of his powers?"

"There is, but he refuses to do so."

"It just inconveniences me so much." Tridon sighed while rubbing his head, "But I guess if it stops these unstable worlds, then I guess I'll start. Next semester."

"Fine." Tiffany looked at the girls and asked, "Can one of you handle him? I have something to work on."

"I got it." Sayori grabbed Tridon who grabbed onto, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Well, after having my powers nearly drained from me, I don't think I would be 100%. I have a major headache and I feel sick."

"Let's get you home." Sayori worriedly looked at the other girls to help her.

"You girls go," Jen started, "I have to do something with Tiffany."

"Alright." Sayori said, "See you next week Jen."

"Yeah." Jen waved them off while her face changed to a deepened worry for Tridon, "What did you get on what Erica is doing?"

"She's trying to get a hold of an old acquaintance of Tridon and Sayori. This particular individual doesn't have the best relationship with Tridon, but has an amazing one with Sayori."

"Is she trying to get him to snap on this person to have her turn on him?"

"That seems to be it." Tiffany responded, "But I'm sure Tridon will get a hold of it."

"H-How?"

"I have my ways." Tiffany pointed at Tridon who had a piece of paper sticking out of his school uniform jacket, "He'll get the gist of it and once he does, we'll be able to have Robert play right into our hands."

"What about Erica?"

"I knew from the beginning that she didn't have a change of heart. She doesn't like Robert, that part still holds true, but he's her only ticket to get to Tridon. It's why she's helping him break their relationship apart."

"What'll happen when you arrest Robert?"

"Erica won't stop until those girls hate Tridon and she can swoop in to sweep him out of harms way." Tiffany scoffed and walked towards her car parked outside the walls of the school grounds, "Let's go. We have some work to do."

* * *

-Epilogue-

Tridon laid asleep in his bed while Sayori walked out and of his room and close the door. She walked downstairs where the others were waiting.

"So?" Natsuki asked.

"He's asleep. It's best if we just let him rest for the night."

The group fell silent for a short second before Yuri said, "You know, our ideas were rather unique."

"And very interesting." Monika added, "It was almost like we were Super Sentai!"

"I mean," Sayori started, "our writer had some trouble thinking of last adventure himself, so he had to get some help."

"Ha." Natsuki laughed, "Looks Mr. Writer isn't as cool as he thought."

"Don't mock him." Monika warned, "He might change your story to make you lose."

"Right..."

"Still," Yuri interrupted, "we gotta hand it to DarkHazen for giving writer the idea for the guardian animals and elements for us to use."

"Yeah." Monika agreed, "The fans wouldn't have seen this turn of events in the story if it weren't for DarkHazen."

"Guys," Sayori started, "I think we've said the name enough. I think they get it."

"Fine..." The girls groan.


	34. Final Exams

Sayori rolled around on her bedroom floor while the club watched her have an episode.

"So how'd we get to this point?" Tridon wondered, "I was just gonna help her study for finals."

"No!" Sayori shouted as she sat up and grabbed Tridon's collar, "Me, studying, and big test no go together!"

"Apparently complete sentences don't go with you either." Monika sighed, "Sayori, you need to study for finals."

"You need to study too Monika." Yuri added, "Remember, you need to get back up in the rankings because the finals will determine if you will or not. You might be living alone again, but you still need to get back up there."

"U-Uh..."

"We'll work on Monika after we deal with my best friend." Tridon moved Sayori's hands from his collar and said, "You told me that you would turn yourself around this year. Yet, you haven't."

"I-I have a little."

"I don't think 2-3 points is a major difference." Yuri retorted, "It's barely much of anything."

"Sayori," Tridon started, "you said you'd be one letter grade up before the end of the semester, but you're sitting at a D average."

"We're just here so you can at least pass the semester with at least a D+ or C- average."

"Mmm..." Sayori puffed her cheeks out and fell back onto her bed, "Fine!" She shouted, "I'll do the studying."

"Well," Monika started, "There's 4 of us and 4 subjects you need to study. So how about we split your study sessions across 4 separate ones. Starting with your easiest, moving down to your hardest."

"That would mean I would have to do English IV first." Sayori uttered, "Who's willing to do that?"

"I mean," Tridon started, "I am number one..."

"No." Natsuki interrupted, "You have to help her with math because you're number 1. Math is all of our worst subjects. But Sayori has an F in Pre-Cal right now."

"Right. I got math I guess."

"I'll help her with English." Yuri offered, "Anyone else?"

"I can help with Chemistry." Natsuki added.

"I guess that leaves me with Reading." Monika stated, "After that, you'll have your study session on Pre-Cal."

Sayori stiffened at the mentioning of Pre-Cal and jumped on Tridon, "Show me the ways of the numbers!"

"After your other study sessions."

"The numbers..." Sayori slid off Tridon while the other laughed at her.

* * *

Moments later, Yuri sat with Sayori who was practically flying through the questions for English. This shocked Yuri who didn't even get a chance to even help her.

"Wow Sayori. You're great at English. Why do you have a B- in that class?"

"The teacher sucks!" She shouted, "How can someone who teach English barely speak it in the first place!"

"Have you been teaching yourself?"

"Yes and no. I've been using a lot of the things I've learned during club meetings on tests. But remember, I also have the number 1 in our class as a best friend."

"Right." Yuri chuckled, "English is your best subject, right?"

"Yup."

"That means you don't really need my help..."

* * *

An hour later, Sayori sat with Natsuki in her living room while the others nearby in her kitchen.

Monika poured Tridon and Yuri mugs of cocoa while asking, "Have either of you spoke to Jen since our final adventure?"

"I haven't." Tridon answered.

"She told me she would focus on studying." Yuri responded. She then, "However, she told me that would like to leave the literature club."

"Why?" Monika quickly asked, "I thought she liked it there."

"She does, but it's just that in her final semester she wants to focus on studies rather than the club."

"That's understandable." Tridon commented, "Sayori should focus on studying too."

"You want her to go to Lingston with you, right?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah. I know there's a low possibility of her even making in the top 100, but there's also the possibility of her exceeding expectations." Tridon looked over at her and smiled, "She's a smart girl, but she's just been dealt a bad hand of laziness."

"Has she always been lazy when it comes to school work?" Monika asked as she joined them sitting down, "If she's actually pretty smart, she must've done her work when she was younger."

"Yeah no." Tridon quickly answered, "She's always been lazy. She just has someone who's her best friend as a tutor and someone who did her homework."

"Did she bully you?"

"No." Tridon looked from the corner of his eye to see Sayori glaring at him from her couch, "It was a mutual agreement to do her homework." Tridon sweat profusely from his forehead while he slowly sipped on his cocoa.

"You did bully him into doing your homework, didn't you?" Natsuki asked while writing on her notebook.

"No." She answered. Natsuki raised her eyebrow making Sayori say, "Yes. I did bully him a little."

"Did you at least pay him back for bailing you out the last 16 years?"

"I gave him peace of mind."

"Peace of mind?" Natsuki scrunched her face and said, "I don't think peace of mind is suplexing him every time he does something you don't like."

"You do the same thing."

"True, but I do it because-."

"You're a tsundere?"

"Sayori..." Natsuki growled.

"Oh pish-posh." Sayori scoffed, "Let's just keep doing biology."

"It's chemistry."

"Practically the same thing."

"No it's not..."

* * *

An hour and a half later, Sayori sat with Monika at her kitchen counter and read through a passage. However, she was reading a little too slow as she has yet to flip the page let alone answer a question ever since she started the practice test.

"Sayori, you know that you can just head to the questions first before reading the passage. You don't have to read the whole passage since the questions will only ask for certain parts of the passage."

"Nobody has told me that."

"Teachers tell you that so you don't waste time on the reading portion."

"That would've been nice to know on past tests..."

"Is this why you've been having low scores on your reading tests?"

"I think so."

"It just seems like the problem with you so far is the lack of good teachers, laziness, and attentiveness."

"But math has always been my worst subject. No matter how Tridon tutors me, I just can't get it."

"Hm and he's better at math than me." Monika mumbled to herself, "I don't know how you're going to do on that aspect then."

"I've always been able to pass math by just a few points. That might be fine in high school, but in college, it won't work that way. It's been bugging me because I'm trying to get into Lingston!"

"Wait what?"

"I want to follow Tridon to Lingston. I told him that I would be fine with him going, but I'm not fine being separated from him." Sayori hugged her legs on her stool and sighed, "I knew about his choice on attending Lingston over the summer."

"How?"

"His sister told me."

"Oh."

"It's why I told him I would turn it around this semester, but like you said, I'm lazy and lack attentiveness. If I paid attention, assessed myself better, and had good teachers, I'd probably be in the top 100."

"Yeah." Monika nodded and smirked, "It's obvious that you won't be able to do too well on this final exam, but let's say this. Why don't all 5 of us study hard enough so that we can all go to Lingston?"

"What?"

"Hear me out Sayori. I say we start next semester helping everyone with their negatives points in school. Then we all take the entrance exam for Lingston and get in!"

"That seems like a pipe dream Monika, but I like that idea and your enthusiasm!"

"We'll talk about after exams and on our final meeting before break."

"Alright."

* * *

Just a few moments later, Tridon walked into Sayori's room holding calculators, protractors, paper, pencils, and erasers. Sayori sat on her bed looking on in fear at the impeding math session.

"No!" She yelled as she tried to leap out her window, but Tridon grabbed her before she could, "Let me go!"

"No!" Tridon shouted back, "You need to learn about numbers!"

"No!" She yelled as she jumped back inside and ran around her room, "Numbers bad for Sayori!" Sayori ran back downstairs with Tridon still holding onto her hips.

The girls looked at Sayori practically dragging Tridon around her house while screaming, "No more more numbers! Numbers bad!"

"We didn't even start yet!" Tridon yelled, "Help me!"

Monika sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "What a way to transition to what we talked about before."

"I know how to help." Natsuki said as she held her foot out in Sayori's path causing her to trip, "Got her."

Tridon was then launched into the nearby wall and landed upside down. The both of them had squiggles on their eyes while the girls looked at them with pity.

* * *

30 minutes later, Sayori was tied to a chair while Tridon sat in front of her with an icebag on his head.

"Alright, let's start on your math tutor session." Sayori tried to burst out, but failed in doing so, "Nice try. We made sure you were trapped so you couldn't break out. We're going to get at this math thing until we think you can maintain a D in the subject."

"No..." Sayori whimpered.

"Even if it takes all night!" Tridon roared.

"No!"

* * *

That next morning, Sayori fell asleep while still tied to the chair and the others were sprawled around in her living asleep as well.

Sayori's eyes fluttered open as she took a look around. Her mind took a moment to process everything before they shot open.

"Guys!" She shouted, "We're gonna be late for exams!"

"What?!" The others shot up when she said they would be late.

"We gotta comb our teeth and clean our hair!" Sayori shouted as they picked her up while in the chair and ran into her bathroom.

"Not you Tridon!" Tridon was kicked out of the bathroom and his head went through her wall, "Pervert!"

* * *

Moments later, the club carried Sayori to the school, through the halls, and placed her inside her first test area. This confused the students and the test prompter in the room.

"She's ready." Monika sighed, "Our test!" She shouted causing the other 4 to run out of the room.

* * *

Later that day, Sayori was carried out of the school while still tied to the chair and by a group of students who set her down in front of the others waiting for them.

She sighed and smiled at them, "Now we wait for our results to come in the mail later this month along with our new class positions."

"Let's get you out of that chair." Tridon snapped his fingers and the tape keeping Sayori down disappeared, "So how did you think you performed on the tests?"

"Well, I know I improved on English and Reading, but Chemistry and definitely math were a little 'iffy' for me."

"That's expected." Tridon nodded, "At least it's over and we can hope that whatever studying we did helped you get at least a D+ average."

Everyone stood around whistling until Yuri asked, "Should we have one of our last short club meetings under the tree today despite it being cold?"

"Yeah." Everyone agreed and made their way to the tree.

They stood around the tree and sighed.

"So," Tridon started, "quite the semester huh?"

"Definitely." Monika agreed.

"Definitely up there on the craziest semesters for people." Natsuki added.

"We've gone on amazing adventures," Yuri started, "had some trouble with people along the way and met the greatest person ever."

Tridon looked around and asked, "Who?"

Sayori punched his arm and said, "Don't be stupid."

"I know..."

"Tridon," Monika walked in front of him and smiled at him, "I think you know what this next week is, right?"

"Uh..."

The other girls nodded and smirked at one another before surrounding him.

"Listen girls," Tridon slowly started back up and laughed nervously, "I know the Winter Dance is next week, but can you please give me some..." Tridon's back hit something solid. He felt behind him for a second before shifting his glance to Sayori who had a massive smile on her face, "Sayori...?"

"I can't believe it!" She shouted, "You're back!"

"What?" Tridon's voice quivered as he heard his best friend shout that.


	35. Finale: 2 Friends And Their Reconciliation

"Is that really you?!" Sayori exclaimed as she ran over to the guy who Tridon had bumped into and hugged him fiercely, "I can't believe you're back Eric!"

"E-Eric?" Tridon stuttered, "No..."

"I just thought I'd visit my best friend before her last semester as a high schooler." Eric chuckled, "I can't believe how much you've grown. How long has it been?"

"8 years." Tridon begrudgingly answered, "Why are you back Eric?"

"I just explained why Tridon."

"No really. Why?"

"Whoa dude," Eric backed up and held his hands up, "what's with the hostility?"

"Yeah Tridon." Sayori agreed, "What's up?"

"Tridon," Monika started, "who is this?"

"An old acquaintance..." Tridon growled.

"Eric is technically my first friend before Tridon." Sayori officially answered, "As in, my original childhood friend."

"Original?" The girls questioned.

"But I thought Tridon was your best childhood friend." Natsuki wondered, "The placements of those words. Oh god it makes sense!"

"It's true." Tridon confirmed, "Eric is the original childhood friend before me. Which makes him technically her 'real' childhood friend."

"And I just wanted to stop on by back in town to see my best friend." Erica wrapped his arm around Sayori and glanced at the other girls, "And I see she surrounded herself with very _wonderful_ people."

Tridon shook his head and twitched at Eric's demeanor. Deciding he didn't want to stay any longer, he started to walk off.

"Tridon!" Monika called out, "Wait!"

"Tridon..." Sayori muttered.

"So mind introducing me to them Sayori?"

"S-Sure..."

"Tridon! Where are you going?!" Monika caught up to Tridon at the school gate and asked, "What's up with you?"

"It's none of your business Monika. Just leave me alone." Tridon trudged along the path to his house leaving Monika behind worried and confused.

"Monika," Sayori interrupted, "I'm gonna go early like Tridon and hangout with Eric. So I'll see ya' tomorrow."

"C'ya Monika." Eric waved off and quickly did a sly wink to her. To which Monika didn't catch as her mind was still on Tridon.

* * *

At school that next day, Monika made it her mission to look for Tridon and get to the bottom of this. However, she couldn't find him. She checked all around the school and couldn't get a single sight of Tridon.

She eventually arrived at the classroom of the club and noticed Tridon standing far from Sayori and Eric, who had returned for their club meeting that day. Tridon held his glare at Eric as he talked up a storm with Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri.

"Tridon..." Monika mumbled as she walked over to Tridon,but was interrupted by Sayori.

"Monika!" Sayori shouted, "Come on! Eric is talking about his time at his school."

"But..." Monika looked over at Tridon who avoided her gaze. She sighed and walked over to the group.

"Go ahead." Tridon muttered to himself, "Manipulate them. I'll change it like last time." Tridon turned around and left the group to Eric.

Over the course of the week, Eric won Natsuki and Yuri over with ease while Monika kept her distance from him and attempted to get a hold of Tridon.

Eric had all but one girl on on his thumb and Tridon wasn't doing a thing about it. Then came the day before the Winter Dance and Monika finally had enough of Tridon's silence.

* * *

Eventually, Monika banged on Tridon's door after school and didn't stop until he answered. Tridon did eventually open the door and stared at Monika.

"Tridon, what's your history with Eric?"

"There isn't one. Look, he can have his time at the club. Just as long as I'm not there."

"Tridon," Monika grabbed Tridon before he could walk off and pleaded with him, "please tell me why you don't want to be near him! You're worrying me! Please!"

Tridon stared at Monika for second before responding with, "At the meeting tomorrow before the dance, I'll show you who he really is and what I did to stop him."

Tridon shut the door and left Monika to herself to wonder what he meant by 'what he did to stop him'.

* * *

That next day at the club meeting just before the Winter Dance, Tridon walked up to the group with Monika at his side. The air was tense, and the girls could feel it.

"Tridon!" Eric called out, "How have you..." He attempted to reach out to Tridon, but Tridon grabbed his wrist.

"Don't try it Eric." Tridon shoved his arm away and looked at everyone.

"Tridon," Natsuki started, "what's your deal dude?"

"My deal is that you're all buying into this guy's crap."

"What are you talking about?" Sayori intervened, "Don't you remember? This is Eric."

"I remember. I remember all too well." Tridon snapped his fingers and the group was teleported to Tridon and Sayori's middle school.

They stood at the corner outside the school and saw a young Eric and Tridon. Eric had Tridon pinned against the wall and looked rather sinister.

"I can't deal with a monster like you." Eric growled, "And I don't want Sayori to deal with you either. I want you to stay away from us if you know what's good for you."

"But Sayori is our friend." Tridon responded.

"Why would she be friend with a mutant-freak like you?!" Eric shoved Tridon to the ground and proceeded to kick him, "You're just an freak that doesn't even deserve to look at her!"

A young Sayori walked towards their corner and was shocked to see Eric beating on Tridon.

"Eric!" Sayori ran and shoved Eric out of the way, "What are you doing?!"

"I'm saving you from that freak!"

"Freak?"

"His powers? You don't think I know?"

"He's not a freak!" Sayori retorted, "He's my best friend! And I thought you were too."

"Why would I wanna be friends with a freak like him. Sayori, you're my best friend. Leave this freak to his own problems."

"No!" Sayori yelled, "I won't ever abandon my best friend!"

"W-What?"

"Leave Eric! I never wanna see you again!"

"Sayori..."

"Leave!" Sayori took off one of her shoes and threw it at Eric, "Leave us alone!" Eric winced and ran off past the group who were watching the whole ordeal.

"I don't remember this..." Sayori muttered herself.

"I made sure you wouldn't remember it." Tridon responded, "I knew this ruined your image of Eric. This is what I wanted you to see, but of course, this didn't happen. But it's a good representation of my hatred for him and why you need to avoid him."

Tridon snapped his fingers again to show Tridon and Eric standing in the same ally by the school, but this time, the both of them were beaten up and breathing heavily.

Sayori turned the corner to see the two glaring at each and how beat up they were. Sayori ran in between them and held the two back.

"What's going on?! Why are you two fighting?!"

"You don't know this guy for real Sayori!" Tridon shouted, "This guy is just a jerk!"

"Sayori, are you really gonna believe this freak?"

"Wait," Sayori shoved the two back and asked, "what is this about?"

"I know how much you love him!" Tridon shouted, "And he knows it too, but he was going to go out with you only to go out with someone else at the same time."

"You can't be serious." Eric scoffed, "Why would I do that to my best friend?"

"You-."

"Stop Tridon." Sayori held Tridon back and shook her head, "Look, you two are my best friends in the world. I don't want to see you two hurt yourselves. I want you two to shake hands and make up."

"What?!" Tridon exclaimed, "But Sayori..."

"You heard her Tridon." Eric fiendishly interrupted, "Let's make up." Eric held his hand out and Tridon grabbed it fiercely. Eric moved close to Tridon's ear and whispered, "I'll let this go, but you say this to Sayori again, I'll ruin her. Like you, that's my power."

Tridon scowled and pull Eric in to knee him in the chin.

"Tridon!" Sayori shouted.

Eric fell onto the ground and Tridon hopped on top of him and proceeded to beat him. Tridon didn't let up as he delivered each blow with rage. Without letting up, Sayori was forced to pry Tridon from Eric.

"Tridon!" Sayori shouted, "Get out of here!"

"What?"

"Get out of here and cool off!" Sayori walked over to Eric and checked on him, "Leave." She demanded.

Tridon shook his head and walked off with his fists bruised and slightly covered in blood.

"This is what I wanted to do but couldn't." Tridon solemnly responded, "This guy is nothing but a manipulative, womanizer who only cares about pulling girls in and breaking their hearts." Tridon snapped his fingers again and they were back in the classroom, "I would do anything to beat you for real and not in some stupid alternate reality."

"No Tridon." Sayori pulled Tridon back and stepped in front of him, "This isn't true."

"What are you talking about?" Tridon scoffed.

"Eric is a nice guy. I've seen it. These fake realities you're showing is just that. Fake." Sayori pushed Tridon back and said, "I don't know if you're jealous or worried about my well-being, but I know Eric better than you."

"Sayori, I know the dark secrets he doesn't want you to know about. The secrets that would ruin his reputation."

"No!" Sayori, "You're lying!"

"Sayori..."

"Just leave Tridon." Sayori growled, "If you're only going to cause trouble, then leave!"

Tridon was speechless for second before scowling at Sayori and walking off, "When he breaks you, don't come running to me." Tridon paused to turn around towards Eric. Eric held a very snark smirk as Sayori moved to his side.

Tridon couldn't think straight for a second and only saw red. He sprinted at Eric and punched him square in the face, "This is your fault you asshole!" Tridon was now being held back by Monika and Yuri, "Come here you little pissant. Come here so I can kill you!"

"Tridon leave!" Natsuki, "Get him going girls!"

"He's stronger than us." Yuri winced, "He's way too strong."

Tridon was about to break free, but was met by a massive slap from Sayori, shocking him.

"Leave Tridon..." Sayori tearfully growled, "Just leave." She repeated, "Leave!"

Tridon breathed heavily and shook Monika and Yuri off of him, "Alright, I'll leave. I'll leave everything. Because I'm done." Tridon walked off leaving nothing but an air of silence around them.

"I think..." Monika coughed and said, "I'm gonna go and skip the Winter Dance." Monika left followed by Yuri.

"Sayori..." Natsuki uttered.

"You can go too." Sayori walked over to Eric and helped him up, "I'll help Eric."

"But Sayori..."

"Just go!" She roared.

Natsuki stepped back and quickly joined the other 2.

"He's still who I remembered him to be." Eric winced, "I'm glad you won't associate yourself with him anymore."

"I'm going to talk to him when he calms down. It might take some time, but he'll come around." Sayori offered her shoulder to Eric and helped him walk.

* * *

Later that night, Sayori and Eric sat inside a café where Sayori handed Eric a cup of coffee.

"I'm sorry for Tridon." She sighed and leaned back, "I guess he's just been stressed out recently." Sayori gripped her cup fiercely and mumbled to herself, "And we won't get to here who he's choosing."

"Why did you stay here?" Eric asked, "You know where I live is infinitely better."

"Because Tridon is a great guy. Well, when he's not off the deep end." Sayori leaned on her arm and said, "When he's normal, he's just the perfect guy to be around. I just don't know what caused to act the way he did." Sayori bounced her leg and excused herself, "I'm sorry, but I gotta head to the bathroom."

"Alright..."

Sayori quickly walked into the bathroom and leaned on the door, "Tridon..." She slowly walked to the mirror and shook her head, "Is there really truth to what he said?" She stared at the mirror and saw Tridon behind her. She quickly turned around to find that he wasn't there, "No. Eric's my best friend and so is Tridon. I..." Sayori sighed and grabbed her head, "I don't know..."

She stood in the bathroom for quite some time thinking to herself.

"Damn it." Sayori punched the wall and winced, "Maybe I shouldn't do that." Sayori gripped her fist and shook her head, "I did just slap the hell out of Tridon." She unballed her fist and clasped her hands together and took a deep breath, "Alright..." She turned to the door and walked out to see Eric talking to other girls. However, Eric didn't even notice her.

"Are you sure you're not with that girl?" One of the girls at the table asked.

"That girl? Nah. She's a mess." Eric laughed, "I wouldn't be caught dead with a girl like that. Not even if she was the last girl on the planet." Eric laughed with the other girls as he leaned on their booth, "So how about all of you come with me, we ditch that mess, and we go have some fun. I heard there's a dance going on tonight."

"Eric?" Sayori called out.

"S-Sayori?" Eric quickly turned around and chuckled, "H-How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough." She walked up to Eric and scowled, "Tridon was right. You are manipulative womanizer and you're just a straight up cunt. I can't believe I chose you over him." Sayori looked down and muttered, "I chose you over my real best friend." Sayori looked up and smacked Eric harder than she did Tridon. She felt the burn, but she didn't care, "Don't ever talk to me again!" Sayori ran out of the café and towards Tridon's house.

She arrived at his house and banged on it. She continued to bang on it, but no answer.

"Tridon!" She shouted, "Please! Let me talk!" She pleaded and pleaded, but nothing, "Tridon..." Sayori stopped banging as the tears flowed down her face, "No..." She fell to her knees and sobbed, "I've lost my best friend. My _real_ best friend..."

* * *

Inside his house, Tridon sat in his room holding an empty bottle of vodka and a gun in other hand. He toned out Sayori's banging and stared blankly at a picture of himself and Sayori at his surprise party. He eventually felt his eye grow heavy before falling onto his side.

Tridon was absent from the literature club and so was Sayori. After the ordeal yesterday, the girls had grown worried about the two and their relationship with one another. It was until Monika saw Tridon walking alone in the hallways.

Monika walked up to him, but he simply looked at her and walked away.

"Tridon," Monika called out, "if you need someone to talk to..."

"I'm fine." Tridon solemnly responded, "I just need some time to myself." Tridon trudged through the halls while grasping his head towards his next class leaving Monika in an even greater state of worry.

* * *

At the club meeting after class, Sayori arrived without Tridon and noticed he wasn't there.

"Where is he?" Sayori worryingly asked, "I haven't been able to get a hold of him."

"I tried to talk to him earlier." Monika answered, "But he told me he wanted time alone. I guess he isn't coming today."

"It's all because of that guy Eric." Natsuki growled, "If he hadn't shown up, we'd be having fun like on our last day together. But no! He had to ruin everything!"

"Natsuki," Yuri started, "that's not very nice."

"But it's true!"

"Shut up Natsuki." Sayori mumbled under her breath.

"Huh?"

"I said shut up!" Sayori finally roared, "I know it's his fault, but most of the fault lies with me!" Tears streamed down her face as she slammed her hands on the table, "I saw and heard how Tridon felt about Eric now that he'd come back out of the blue, but I was there blinded by history. History that didn't define who Eric was now. And it's all my fault Tridon is like this..."

"No Sayori..." Monika tried to say something, but he doors to the classroom slid open as Tridon stepped inside. He looked at the 3 sitting at their desks before turning his attention to Monika, "Tridon..." Monika muttered.

"I'm sorry Monika, but as of today, I will no longer be part of the Literature Club." Tridon paused for a moment and added, "I'm quitting the club."

"What?" Monika questioned.

"You what?!" Natsuki shouted while jolting up.

"You're leaving the club?" Yuri asked.

Sayori couldn't react. Her feeling of shock clouded what words to say as Tridon looked at her for a short second before turning back to Monika.

"I don't want to spend time in a place that's made my last week of the semester terrible. Actually, not just me, but for all of you. I'd like to take time to focus on my studies and myself over the next semester." He sighed and said, "As you all know, I'll be attending one of the top universities in the state, Lingston, and I need to focus on making sure I get in with good scholarships."

"But you can't leave." Monika started, "This club would be great for your English major."

"That's the thing." Tridon interrupted, "I won't be pursuing my English degree anymore. I'll be heading back into Football when I attend a Summer Football Camp after graduation in hopes I can get in as a walk-on."

"But..." Monika teared up and tried to say something, but Tridon was already making his way out of the classroom.

"I'm sorry, but this is for the best." And with that, Tridon left the girls in total shock. Sayori being the most in shock.

* * *

Over that weekend, Tridon completely ignored the girls, even when they would personally go to house and knock on his door. He'd ignore them and not even acknowledge them regardless of how long they tried to get his attention in his house.

It eventually came to a time where the girls had enough and went to the one place they could find him. Especially during a time like this.

They quickly made their way to the pond to find Tridon skidding rocks. The girls looked at Sayori and nodded to her. They knew she was the one that needed to talk sense into Sayori.

"Tridon..."

"What are you doing here?" He quickly responded, "Shouldn't be with the girls behind you?" He skipped another rock along the water and shook his head, "Are you here to try and get me back into the club? Or are you here to try and rekindle our relationship?"

"We want you to talk to us."

"About what?" He questioned, "There's nothing that needs to be said."

"You need to tell us what's going through your mind." Sayori refuted, "There's obviously something eating at you and you need to tell us!"

Tridon paused and skipped another rock saying, "You know what it feels like to be a replacement?"

"Replacement?"

"Replacement for a guy who upped in left because he didn't want to live near a 'freak'?" Tridon growled and dropped the rocks in his hands, "Abandoned his best friend just because of one person's power. Then he comes back to 'save' that individual who still has them on his thumb like a dog?" Tridon's voice grew shaky while he walked over to the nearby tree and leaned on it, "It never occurred to me that I was nothing more than a replacement toy for someone like Eric. Not for a moment did he think about you and you bought into it!"

"Tridon that's ridiculous! Why would I look at you as a replacement for Eric?"

"You only hung out with me because you had nobody else! Only Eric!" Tridon roared, "Because I had nobody else." Tridon paused and stared at the ground below him. Afterwards, he continued saying, "You knew that Eric was that one guy who could keep up with your antics and you saw me as a scape goat. A replacement."

"You weren't a replacement!"

"Then who was I to you?!" Tridon turned around and roared at Sayori while punching the tree, "Was I replacement for him or was I your best friend?"

"My..."

"I never noticed it until the days he was here." Tridon muttered to himself, "You saw Eric right through me. I didn't even exist until I stepped up the other day. I was nothing more than a replacement that was thrown away when the real one came back better than before."

"No..."

"You didn't think I heard what he was saying? Number 1 all throughout his school career, has all the friends in the world. Oh, and guess what? He can still play sports without having to worry about his knee giving out on him!" Tridon turned back around and solemnly added, "I'm nothing but a two-bit, dollar store version replacement for a girl who deserved better from the get-go."

"No!" Sayori tackled Tridon and sobbed into his chest, "I saw you and only you!" She cried into his chest, "You've been with me through everything no matter how annoying, clingy, or crazy I got. You stuck with me and I stuck with you."

"Liar..."

"I care about you! I love you!"

"Liar!" Tridon pushed Sayori off himself and frowned at her, "Don't you dare lie to me about love or anything like that." Tridon turned around and said, "Just get out of here. I don't want anything to do with you, the club, or anyone else! Just leave me alone!"

"Tridon..." Sayori sobbed louder while the other 3 tried to help leave, but she didn't want to. She wanted to convince Tridon that she saw only him. She saw him as her one and only true love.

Tridon jerked his head and turned around. He took out his gun and pointed it past the girls. The girls stood in shock and paused.

He growled saying, "Get out of the way girls."

The girls moved out of the way to show Robert walking up to them accompanied by his private military all armed and aiming at Tridon.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Robert clapped, "Is this the ending to this amazing drama? Or is this where the hero, that's me, takes down the villain, that's you, and saves the damsels in distress, that's you 3."

"You know what's messed up?" Tridon started, "You're nothing but slimy, pedophilic, shrewd businessman who prays on those who have nothing else to lose. But I guess that's just usual business to you."

"It's how I stay on top." Robert chuckled, "But you really are at your wits end. You've lost everything. Your sports career, your club, and now your friends. What makes you think they're still on your side when you were so close to just decking Sayori in her face."

"It's like I said. You pray on people who have nothing else to lose." Tridon aimed at Robert and asked, "You wanna know what people who have nothing to lose do? The drastic actions they take when know they can do anything?"

"What's that?"

"It means I can go down here once I pull this trigger and your private puppies here fill me with lead." Tridon smirked and added, "But who's to say that person with nothing to lose still doesn't have backup."

"Huh?" A laser landed on Robert's head followed by his army, "What the hell?"

"You know what's worse than someone not having anything to lose? A person who thinks they have everything figured out when they don't know that their shrewd business calls earned them a large bounty by the top dogs in the government." Tridon put his gun down and clicked his tongue, "The last thing I want is for you to think you're still on top and not have to pay for everything you've done to me and the people I know."

"You..." Robert ran forward but was shot in the shoulder by Tridon's fast trigger, "Ah!"

"Yeah no."

Robert's private quickly surrendered as mass amounts of armed special ops soldier moved in to detain them. Tiffany joined from the pond while accompanied by her own soldiers and joined up with Tridon. Jen arrived in an SUV accompanied by FBI agents.

"Good job Tridon." Tiffany commended Tridon as she put her snorkel up from her face.

"That was very good acting Tridon." Jen added.

"I didn't do anything." Tridon responded, "The idiot was too arrogant and never thought ahead."

"Shouldn't you go and..." Tiffany pointed over to the girls who were still comforting Sayori who didn't even watch the ordeal, "Jen and I will handle this."

"I'll deal with them." Tridon walked over to them and said, "I honestly don't know what to say."

"Did you plan all of this?" Natsuki asked.

"Not really. Tiff did. She heard about everything around me going to s**t and planned their ambush on him. You girls made it easier to catch him. So let's say you girls were technically bait." Tridon looked down at Sayori and knelt in front of her, "I want you to confirm to me here." Sayori looked up at him as he asked, "Who do you see?"

"Tridon..." She muttered, "Tridon Pierce. My best friend. The person I love."

Tridon straight face turned into a small smile as he held his arms out, "Come here."

Sayori tackled Tridon for hug and sobbed loudly into his chest, "I'm so sorry Tridon!" She sobbed, "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay." Tridon looked up to the others and said, "You girls come here too." The girls joined the two for a massive group hug while he snapped is fingers and said, "Return to the past..."

* * *

A bright flash surrounded the world as it was sent back in time just as Eric returned to town. The club stood underneath their tree just as Eric walked up to them.

"Hey Sayori." He started, "How's my best friend been doing."

Sayori looked at everyone and nodded, "Yeah nice try." Sayori stood up and grabbed Eric by his collar, "No best friend leaves their best friend behind just because they're scared of someone with a unique power."

"What?" Eric chuckled nervously and backed up while holding his hands up.

"Get out of here before all 4 of us make you regret walking up to us."

Eric looked past Sayori to see Monika holding a chain, Natsuki holding a bat, Yuri holding up a knife, and lastly, Tridon spinning the cylinder of his gun.

Tridon smirked and said, "Boo."

"A-Ah!" Eric ran away just as Sayori let go of him.

"That should teach him not to mess with the Literature Club!" Natsuki shouted, "Tridon, if he comes back, put a bullet in his head."

"I'd usually be against this," Yuri added, "but please put a couple of bullets in his head."

"But leave some for us." Monika winked at Tridon who sighed and stood next to Sayori.

"I'm just glad things are basically back to normal. Robert isn't technically locked up since I brought us back to the past, but he'll be trying to figure out ways to ruin my life. Also, Eric won't be messing with us, and I have the girls I love and care about."

"So... about this Winter Dance," Sayori started up, "should we just skip it?"

"Yeah." They all agreed in unison.

"I guess you have more time to choose Tridon." Natsuki sneered as he punched his chest, "But we expect an answer before graduation."

"Alright, I get it." Just as Tridon said this, flurries of snow filled the space around them, shocking the girls, "Oh, and I added snow for a treat."

"Aw..." The girls hugged Tridon who hugged them back.

"Nothing's better than some nice snow." Sayori chuckled, "Especially for a finale."

"How about we head to Tridon's house and have some hot cocoa?" Monika offered, "I think I can finally use the stove without it erupting into flames."

"I'll get the fire extinguisher." Natsuki sighed.

"I'll get the fire department on speed dial." Yuri added.

"Sayori and I will stand far away." Tridon also added while laughing.

"Aw come on guys!" Monika shouted while she walked with Natsuki and Yuri.

"Well, it's been quite the semester Sayori." Tridon started, "One that will probably be etched into our minds forever."

"Not only ours," Sayori added, "but the readers too."

"That's right." Tridon turned towards an invisible void and said, "We're all so glad you all joined us on this adventure and our creator, Noca, wouldn't have been able to continue if it weren't for the support he had received. Especially from our special friend, DarkHazen. If it weren't for him, we would still be stuck on our last adventure some time ago."

"That's right." Sayori added, "Even if it caused us to go through some very bad situations, we're just glad that we got to take others on an amazing adventure!"

"Through our ups and downs, we're so glad you stuck with us." Tridon smiled and wrapped his arm around Sayori and said, "Be sure to come back soon to see next semester with myself, my best friend in the whole world, and the rest of the club."

"Until then..."

"C'ya!" Tridon and Sayori wave all of you off before joining their friends.

* * *

_I couldn't have said it better myself. In all honesty, I'm so glad you all gave this story a chance. As someone who hasn't written a good Fanfic since the Winter of 2018, this meant so much to me for my return to Fanfic writing. Here's to sequel for Doki Doki: Those Times With The Dokis._

_Before we officially end this, I would like to possibly stretch out an offer to any fans of this story. I'd like to do a dramatic reading of this and of course, I need voices. I can easily voice every male in the story, but that isn't fun._

_I'd like to see who would like to voice our Dokis, Mitchell, Robert, and other characters. I can voice Tridon since he's loosely based off of myself. I'm sure our friends would love to see themselves come to live through a dramatic reading. If you'd like to volunteer your voice to be part of a dramatic reading, hit me up in DMs, on Twitter @therealnoca or on YouTube on my channel: TecmoNoca! Anyway, thank you for reading!_

**"So long!"** Every shouted while waiving all of you amazing people off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those Times Towards Graduation will be posted tomorrow. Just thought I'd let this first volume sit before uploading the rest of this Complete Edition. So enjoy the first volume and get ready for a big change of pace. People are already seeing the big difference between this and Flames Of War. Oh boy.
> 
> Also, I've been wanting to do a Q&A type of deal, but I don't have enough clout for that, but I would like to do some live writing sessions. I've tried to it before on twitch, but I skimped out on it. So if that's something that would be neat, voice your opinions in the comments!


	36. Those Times Towards Graduation: The Start Of Something New!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we have the start of Those Times Towards Graduation. This is where things began to change into the mil-sim stuff and Tridon became more badass. Enjoy this part of the series and yeah. Bye!

Tridon rose up from his bed and stretched. He wiped his face and looked at his alarm clock that was blaring throughout his house. He sighed and hit the snooze button. His phone rung and he checked the caller ID.

He chuckled and answered, "Hey there Sayori."

"Just making sure you were awake."

"I'm awake." Tridon stood up and walked over to his closet, "Are you awake?"

"I'm talking to you aren't I?"

"I guess. What about the other 3?"

"Monika might still be asleep." Sayori peaked through her window and into Tridon's house. He nodded and said, "She is."

"I'll go wake her." Tridon out of his room and stretched.

_Yup, this girl is living with me again. She went back up in the class rankings, but_ _she's_ _still not_ _in_ _the top 100. Her mom said that if she can get into the top 100 after our mid-term break, then she_ _would_ _allow her to live alone again._

He walked over to one of the doors and knocked on it before opening it.

"Monika," he called out, "wake up."

He heard her groan and turn in her bed. He sighed and walked over to her bed. He shook her repeatedly, but to no avail.

"She's not budging Sayori."

"Shake her harder."

"Fine." Tridon shook Monika a little more aggressively, "Wake up Monika." However, while shaking her, Monika moaned and grabbed Tridon, "M-Monika!"

"Mmm." She moaned, "Tridon. You're too rough."

"I don't know what I'm doing that is rough, but I'm not doing it now." Tridon as he tried to pull away, "Geez. Why is her grip so strong?"

"Oh Tridon. Fill me up."

"No!" Tridon yelled as he jerked up, picking up Monika in the process, "Wake up!"

Monika's eyes shot open while she looked around. She looked at Tridon and her face flushed.

"A-Ah!" Monika covered her face and rolled off Tridon's arms and back onto her bed, "Tridon!"

"Time to wake up sleepy head. First day of our last semester." Tridon walked out of her room while Monika moved to hug her pillow.

"Mmm..." She buried her face into her pillow and fell onto her bed, "So embarrassing."

"Sounds like you had fun." Sayori teased.

"Fun would be an understatement." Tridon fixed himself and sighed, "What about the other two?"

"I'll call them." Sayori answered, "You worry about getting yourself and Monika ready."

"I'm on it."

_Well, this starts our push to graduation. After a very eventful previous semester, I look to keep everything normal and vanilla this time._

Tridon scrunched his face and looked towards an invisible void, "Oh who am I kidding. We're still gonna break the 4th wall and create some awesome adventures!"

"Tridon," Monika chimed in from her room, "don't break the 4th wall this early, please?"

"Oh alright."

Later at school, the club walked in greeting others and taking in the new school air. Sayori walked ahead of everyone and took a massive deep breath.

"Ah..." Sayori sighed and turned to the others, "This is it everyone. The final push!"

"That's right." Yuri agreed, "After many grueling years of elementary, middle, and high school, this is where it all ends on our final push towards graduation."

"Oh man." Natsuki jumped up and down in excitement while saying, "This is gonna be the best semester ever!"

"And we have our friend here who will help in doing that." Monika looked at Tridon and winked, "Right Tridon?"

"Yeah I guess so." Tridon scratched the back of his head and sighed, "So how about we head on inside and see what our schedules look like, m'kay?"

The club stood in a line of other students waiting to get their schedules. Sayori hopped up and down between them, but not out of excitement, but out of worry.

"What's up Sayori?"

"I'm worried that they didn't put us in the same classes." Sayori's voice shook as she looked at Tridon, "What if you and I aren't in the same class?"

"Sayori, we weren't in any of the same classes last semester. What's different this semester?"

"If I'm going to try and improve myself this semester, I need you to help me to improve Tridon."

"We still have club meetings."

"You don't get it. Club meetings are reserved for our adventures. Not studying."

"If we're not in the same classes," Monika interrupted, "why not start a study group." Monika pulled Sayori to the side and whispered in her ear, "Remember, I told you that we'd make one in order to get all of us into Lingston, remember?"

"Oh right..."

"Alright here we are." Tridon was handed his schedule and walked off to wait for the others.

They eventually joined back up with him and they slowly unfolded their schedules.

"So what's the sitch?" Natsuki started, "My first period is Statistics."

"I have that." Monika and Tridon say in unison, "First period." The three of them high-fived one another while Yuri read her next class.

"My second period is Photography III. Do you have that Tridon?"

"Yeah. I guess we'll be in there again."

"Yes!" Yuri cheered.

"I also have Intro To World History." Tridon added, "One of those Dual Enrollment classes for Lingston." Tridon look at all of them and chuckled, "I guess that's one class I don't have with anyone. This class is one I'll have to take at the library since it's online."

"My 4th period class is..." Sayori looked at it and her face scrunched up, "AP Calculus!"

Sayori stood outside the principal's office while the others watched her practically lose it when she found out she was in an AP math course.

"This has to be some sort of mistake." Sayori mumbled to herself, "How can I be in an AP math course?!"

"Well," Tridon started, "you surprisingly got a high math score on the final exams. You were up there with the top 25 students."

"But how?"

"Maybe it was that cram session we had the night before." Yuri answered, "Maybe that cram session actually worked for you."

"But I don't remember anything from that session. Plus, I think the circulation to my head was being cut off by being tied to that chair for so long."

"I don't know how that would work."

The principal's door opened and they stiffened up. A middle-aged woman in her mid-30s stepped out smiling at them.

"Hello kids, what can I help you with?"

"Sayori," Tridon pointed over to where Sayori was, but found her missing, "where'd she...?" Tridon sighed and grabbed Sayori from his back and held her in the air, "Ms. White, she wants to figure out why she was placed in AP Calculus."

"Well, she received her scores from the final exam, right?"

"I did receive them." Sayori answered, "But it must've been a fluke."

"A fluke?"

"Ms. White," Sayori jumped down from Tridon's grasped and said, "you remember my past math scores on previous exams. They're not someone who should be in any AP classes. At least put me in Statistics or Bridge Math!"

"Well," Ms. White sighed and said, "you can test out of the class. If you score low, you will be moved from the AP class into a class more suited for your needs."

"When do I take this test?"

"Either at the end of the day or during lunch."

"I'll do it at the end of the day."

Later that day at lunch, Tridon stretched and stood up from one of the computers in the library. The librarian walked up to him and said, "Lunch time Mr. Pierce."

"I know." Tridon picked up his bag and noticed Monika smiling at him by the exit of the library, "Hey Monika."

"Hi Tridon."

Tridon looked around and asked, "Where are the others?"

"They have different lunch breaks." Monika answered, "I was hoping you and I would have the same lunch break and here we are."

"I guess we do." Tridon chuckled at Monika who was staring at the ground shyly while the two walked around, "Did you bring a lunch or do you want to share mine?"

"I brought my..." Monika paused and looked at Tridon, "Share?!"

-Inside Monika's Head-

_Oh my god. Sharing a lunch with Tridon? I just couldn't. Is this within the confines of our competition for Tridon's affection?!_

"Here you go Monika." Tridon held a piece of sausage to Monika's mouth as Monika blissfully took a bite of it, "Is it good?"

"Wonderful..."

"I know something else that would taste good..." Tridon inched closer as Monika's thought bubble popped.

"Oh!" Monika hugged herself as she wiggled around, "I just can't do this Tridon. Not out here in front of everyone..."

"Monika," Tridon sighed, "you just acted that whole thing out in front of everyone."

"Huh?!" Monika's mouth trembled as she covered her face and ran off, "What am I doing?!"

Tridon sighed and turned around. He ran into an older gentleman and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry. I was just watching a friend of mine be weird for a second."

"That's fine." The older gentleman looked past her and then back at Tridon, "You're Tridon Pierce, correct?"

"That's right."

"I heard about your time playing football during your middle school years. Until your injury that is."

"Oh right. Practically ended my career before it even started."

"I see." The man handed Tridon a card and said, "I've seen you at the park and I gotta say, I'm impressed."

"Huh?" Tridon looked at the card and his eyes widened when he read the name on the card, "Y-You're..."

"I'm the athletics director at Lingston and I know for sure that Coach Johnson would love to see how you could perform at his camp this summer."

"No way..."

"Give me a call some time and we'll see to it that you get a spot at the camp and maybe you can be walk-on for the Lingston Black Dragons." The gentleman waved Tridon off and was on his way.

Tridon stood stone-still while other students walked past him in confusion.

Later that day in a classroom, Sayori sat staring at a test with Ms. White standing across from her.

"Okay Sayori, you'll have this last hour of the school day to take this test. You don't have to answer every question, just answer a minimum of 10 questions and you'll be graded on what you've completed."

"Okay." Sayori took some deep breaths and almost instantly, tried to burst out of her chair, but she found herself tied to the chair.

"Thanks you guys." Ms. White gave Tridon and the club at thumbs while they gave her thumbs up back.

"You traitors!" Sayori shouted.

"It's for your own good Sayori!" Tridon shouted back.

"Sayori, if you really want to test out of AP Calculus, you'll have to take this test."

"Alright..." Sayori took a deep breath and squeezed her arms out of the bindings, "Oh man..." Sayori brought her pencil up and brought it down.

The others waited an hour outside the school and Sayori rolled out of the school still tied to the chair and Tridon stopped her.

"So what's the sitch Sayori?"

"I..." Sayori paused and took out her paper, "out of the class! I'm now in Bridge Math because I'm terrible at math!"

"Sayori," Tridon started, "I don't know if that's good or bad."

"I'll just go to you for help best friend." Sayori smiled at Tridon before yelling, "Now get me out of this chair!"

"Nah." Tridon proceeded to roll Sayori towards the gate and said, "Remember girls, we have to have to wait a few weeks before using my powers again."

"So what are we gonna do for the next few weeks?"

"Just end it here?"

"What?"

"No adventures for the next few weeks so I guess the writer can just end the chapter here."

"Are we increasing the amount of 4th wall breaks this volume?" Sayori wondered while being pushed in her chair, "I swear, I wanted to say season so bad..."

"Yes and I want to be able to say season." Tridon and the girls slowly looked off at the distance while smirking and raising their eyebrows continuously.

"Oh you know what we're looking at everyone." Tridon chuckled, "If you've read the previous volume, you know what we're looking at."

"You know who we're talking to specifically." Natsuki interrupted, "We're talking about the people who started on this first and not the previous volume!"

"Calm it down pinkie." Tridon pushed Natsuki and turned to the girls, "So what do you girls wanna do?"

"Nothing!"

They were now in Tridon's sitting around and doing nothing. Tridon looked around and sighed.

"Yeah, we should just not listen to Tiff and do an adventure tomorrow."

"Yeah..."


	37. Being A Fake Boyfriend

Before Tridon could walk into his first period class with Monika and Natsuki, he was pulled aside by Ms. White.

"Mr. Pierce, there's something I must discuss with you."

"Okay?" Tridon questioned, "Will I miss the whole class session?"

"Most likely."

"Ah geez." Tridon scratched the back of his head and turned to the girls, "I guess I'll see you two later."

"It's fine Tridon." Monika nodded.

"Just don't forget about our thing this weekend." Natsuki stated.

"I won't." Tridon waved the two off and followed Ms. White to a classroom. There stood another female student who had blonde hair that reached just above her shoulder blades and was about the same height as Monika if not slightly shorter.

"Ms. White?" Tridon questioned, "Who dis?"

"As you may know, Monika dropped from her number 1 spot after mid-terms last year and the number 2 changed since the final exams, we have your new Salutatorian, Lola Fleming.

"Lola..." Tridon tapped his head and nodded, "I don't remember who she is."

"Uh, I'm right here." Lola interrupted.

"I know, but I honestly don't know you."

"That's because she hasn't been in any of your classes at all since you started high school." Ms. Wright answered, "She performed exceptionally well on the mid-terms and the finals that she jumped up the rankings to number 2."

"Okay. So what do you need from us?"

"I just thought it'd be a good idea to introduce the two of you since it doesn't seem like anyone is going to be passing her up any time soon."

"She's that good huh?"

"Scored just under you Mr. Pierce."

Tridon sighed and walked past Ms. Wright, "Alright, I'm sure you know who I am Lola."

"That's right. Tridon Pierce. You're part of the Literature Club here at school. Originally number 2 for the last 3 and a half years."

"I would say all that information you know would be stalker-scary, but I think everyone at this school knows about half the stuff I do." Tridon held his hand out and said, "It's nice to meet you Lola."

"As to you." The two shook hands, but Tridon had a short flashback where he saw a blonde-haired girl running in front of him. Lola noticed this and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I-It's nothing..."

"Mr. Pierce, Ms. Fleming, we'll need you two to head off an event next weekend."

"Next weekend?" Tridon thought to himself, "I don't think I have anything planned for next weekend, but another event?"

"I know you don't like last minute events. The last principal told me."

"Mmm..." Tridon held a straight face and mumbled to himself, "Stupid continuity..."

"All you have to do is introduce yourself during the event and that's it. You can go home afterwards if you like."

"Good." Tridon sighed, "As long as it's not like the last event. That place was boring and lame."

"Real charmer he is Ms. White." Lola sighed.

"Oh you wouldn't know it." Tridon uttered.

* * *

After the meeting, Tridon made his way to his next class, Photography IV.

He saw Yuri waiting outside for him and he waved at her. However, he was pulled to the side by Lola, confusing Yuri.

"Lola." Tridon groaned, "The hell are you doing?"

"I just need to ask you something." She responded.

"Well make it quick. I kinda have someone waiting and confused over there."

"Are you going out with any of the girls in the literature club?"

"No. Why are you asking?"

"I just think it's..."

"Weird for a guy to be in a club with a bunch of girls, so you assume that I'm dating one, if not all of them?" Lola stared at Tridon with surprise and he sighed, "Sorry, that just seems like the most definite thing you'd say."

"No. That's exactly what I was going to say..."

"So what's the deal?"

"I want you to be my boyfriend."

"Huh?!" Yuri suck her head out from the corner of the hallway just as Lola asked this, "Tridon!" Yuri turned Tridon around and glared at him, "A confession so early into the year?! Have you forgotten about us?!"

"I'm not even the one confessing Yuri."

"Y-Yes, but girls are already confessing to you and it's only the beginning of the semester."

"Yuri, nobody has ever confessed to me at this school. I don't know why you make it seem this is an everyday occurrence." Tridon sighed and turned to Lola, "Why do you want me to be your boyfriend?"

"I kinda told a group of bullies that I was dating you, so I want to show them that it was true."

"Why would you fabricate a lie that big just to prove something to these bullies?"

"I just didn't want them to torment me anymore and now that I'm number 2, they're more likely to torment me more."

"Mmm..." Tridon sighed and shook his head, "I don't like bullies. Natsuki herself has a bully problem." He gave one look at Lola and nodded, "Alright, if you want me to fake being your boyfriend until they back off, I'll do it."

"Tridon!" Yuri shouted, but Tridon held his hand up.

"Will you really do it Tridon?"

"Yeah, but only until they're off your backs. Not any longer, okay?"

"Yeah, for sure."

Tridon turned around to Yuri and pat her on the head, "Just explain to the girls the deal when they see us together, okay? I don't want them to freak out or beat me into the ground over a misunderstanding."

"Hm..." Yuri thought to herself, "Give me more head pats from time to time and I'll tell them the deal."

"Fine..." Yuri nodded and smiled, "But we're late for class."

"Okay." Tridon turned back to Lola and said, "Do you know where they usually are at the end of the day?"

"They like to hang out around the school entrance. Just walk out with me there so we can fool them."

"Alright, I'll have to tell some of my friends the deal with walking out with you." Tridon scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "Especially a certain best friend of mine."

"Tridon. We're late." Yuri grabbed Tridon's collar and proceeded to drag him away.

"Just meet me by the library!" Tridon shouted as Yuri dragged him around the corner.

* * *

After school, Tridon walked towards the library entrance to see Lola patiently waiting for him. He waved at her and she waved back.

"I didn't think you'd actually go through with it."

"Well, like I said earlier, one of my club members has trouble with bullies herself. So if someone is being harassed by bullies, I'll make sure I'm there to make sure they don't harass you."

"Thanks Tridon. I know this is a lot to ask, especially from someone you barely know."

"Well, I like to help people when I need to. Makes me feel better about myself."

"I remember talking to Monika one time last semester and she said that you have an inferiority complex."

"N-No..." Tridon stuttered, "I don't know where she got that, but I do not have a inferiority complex."

"Just," Lola slowly wrapped her arm around Tridon's arm and said, "act like my boyfriend until we get far enough from them."

"Fine. But only until they're out of sight and out of mind."

Tridon looked around while him and Lola walked past the entrance gates. His eyes eventually stopped on a group of girls standing in a half circle right outside the gate. They looked to want to step up, but hesitated.

He scoffed and averted his gaze forward, "Found you lot..." He mumbled to himself.

* * *

After walking just a bit longer, Tridon stopped and pulled his arm out of Lola's grip, "Are we far enough?" Lola asked.

"Yeah. We lost them a while ago, but I see who they are." Tridon sighed and looked at Lola, "Maybe I should accompany you to and from school as well. Those girls look worse than the girls that mess with Natsuki."

"But your club..."

Tridon scrunched his face and nodded, "Why don't you join the literature club?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah. We're down to the original 5 members from last semester since our last 2 members either left or stopped showing up. So it'll be great if we could get some new members."

"I don't know. I've never been too much of a literature person."

"Don't worry." Tridon reassured Lola by putting his hand on her head and gave her head pats, "Don't you worry about a thing. We do writing lessons from time to time along with some other interesting events." Tridon smirked as he said events and added, "I think you'll love it there."

"Well," Lola stared at the ground and nodded, "I'll do it!" Lola looked up at Tridon with a look of determination.

"Great."

"Tr-i-don." Tridon slowly turned around to see the other 4 girls all glaring at him.

"And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my cardio on." Tridon sprinted past Lola while the others chased him down the street, "I'm sorry girls! It was for a good cause!"

Lola watched Tridon being chased by the other girls. She smiled and looked to the sky towards downtown, "I don't know what _he's_ talking about." Lola brushed part of her air over her ear as the cool winter breeze brushed past her, "My cousin doesn't know what he's talking about. Tridon is a great person."


	38. More Baking!

Tridon stopped in front of Natsuki's house and stepped out of his car. He walked towards the door and before he could knock on it, the door flew open and he was tackled and licked endlessly.

"The hell is going on?!" Tridon tried to block his face, but to no avail.

"No!" Natsuki yelled from in front of him, "Heel Silica!" Natsuki pulled off what was licking Tridon and sighed, "I'm so sorry Tridon. You know how Silica is whenever she sees any of you."

"I know." Tridon stood back up and pet Natsuki's dog. It was a white female Labrador puppy named Silica, "I can't be mad at a puppy. You have been training her, right?"

"Yeah." Natsuki responded, "Watch this." Natsuki took out a treat and said, "Sit Silica. Sit" But Silica didn't do anything, "Rollover Silica. Rollover." And again, nothing, "Uh. Stay Silica." Although Silica didn't do anything, she technically stayed, "There you go Silica. Who's a good girl! Who's a good girl!" Natsuki gave Silica the treat and started petting her.

"You need help." Tridon loomed over Natsuki who chuckled nervously under the shade of his body.

* * *

Later on inside, Tridon took out a small pamphlet and handed it to Natsuki. Silica laid down on her bed and fell asleep while Natsuki read over the pamphlet.

"Okay." Natsuki nodded, "Do you think we could really enter this?"

"It's a Valentine's Day bake off." Tridon explained, "So it's love themed obviously."

"But it won't be for a while. Why start planning now?"

"I want to win." Tridon answered, "Other participants are going to make decadent pastries with elaborate designs. I want people to feel bad for finishing it because they couldn't savor the moment any longer."

"So that's why you want to start a few weeks earlier as opposed to our last minute creations."

"Yes. I want us to win at least something and not a participation award." Tridon slammed his hand on Natsuki's kitchen counter and startled her, "We have to get down to business and create a masterpiece!"

"First," Natsuki walked over to Tridon and flicked off more flour out of his hair, "let's try not to make a big mess. There's still flour on you."

"I'm gonna figure out how to do a full body cleanse because it's been 3 months and people are still finding flour on me. It's annoying."

"Well, what do you have in mind for our submission?"

"We have a month to figure it out. Let's figure out the basics." Tridon walked around sighed, "It seems that the top pastries that make it to the top 3 are cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. Kinda the quintessential baked goods at a bakery."

"Are you thinking we should work towards one of those 3?"

"I say we throw a 4th one into the mix. A cookie cake."

"A cookie cake?" Natsuki nodded and smiled, "I sure do love cookie cakes."

"It'll be a good fallback and it'll be the last thing we try. First, let's see how we can make a cake taste and look amazing."

"Okay. Should we look at other people's designs or try and figure out our own?"

"Hm," Tridon tapped his head and asked, "what do _you_ think?"

"Huh?"

"This is still your creation. I'm merely just here for moral support." Tridon pat Natsuki's back and said, "I'm also here to make sure you have a fun time making the actual pastry."

"You're right." Natsuki squat down and pulled out a massive dry erase board, surprising Tridon, "Alright..."

"Wait. How'd you do that?"

"You're not the only one that defy the rules of reality."

"There are rules?"

"I think they're laws."

"Laws, rules..." Tridon shrugged his shoulders, "They're just things that are meant to be broken."

"Exactly."

Tridon nodded and sat at her counter, "So what do you think we should do in terms of making a cookie cake look amazing?"

"Hm..." Natsuki sighed and leaned on the table, "I'm not sure if I can do art with the icing. I can draw, but I've never tried drawing with a squeeze bag."

"Well, that's why we're doing this weeks in advance so we can gameplan." Tridon pulled out of his pocket a full-sized chalkboard and said, "So we're gonna line up under center, bake this cookie cake, and deliver it to the endzone for a score!"

"Tridon..." Natsuki smiled and sighed while Tridon continued on his tangent, "You're an adorable idiot."

* * *

An hour or so later, Natsuki had slapped 2 cookie cakes into the oven and slapped her hands together. She turned around to see Tridon sitting on the ground and Silica licking his face, which was covered in flour again.

"Looks like we still managed to make a mess." Natsuki chuckled.

"Not too much though." Tridon stood up and pet Silica who walked off back to her bed, "It's a maintainable dirtiness."

"Well, we need to prepare some icing and look at some icing art for our cookie cakes."

"I brought my laptop. It's in my car." Tridon took out his keys and threw it to Natsuki, "Can you grab it for me please?"

"Oh fine." Natsuki walked outside and opened the trunk to Tridon's car. She smiled and sighed to herself, "I wonder who he's going to pick before graduation." She grabbed his bag and started to walk back inside.

However, before she could, a big rock was thrown at her and it hit Tridon's car. She quickly turned around to see her bullies laughing and holding rocks.

"Hey!" She looked back at Tridon's car and saw a light scratch, "You..."

"What?" The leader scoffed, "What are you gonna do? Get your boyfriend?"

"I..." She shied away and backed up, "He's not my..."

"What the hell?" Tridon stood at the doorway and sighed, "Why are you all so persistent?" Tridon shook his head and walked over to Natsuki. He looked at his car and wiped the scratch, "Aw man."

"You don't scare us this time." Their leader chuckled, "Come on babe!"

The girl's boyfriend walked out accompanied by 4 others. Tridon's expression didn't change as he scoffed at them.

"So you, a more than likely 20+ year old dude, can't fight me, an 18 year old high school student." Tridon laughed and leaned on his car, "I don't know if I should fight all of you off or if I should let you beat on me so when we go to the police, they'll believe a battered kid over a group of adults."

"That won't happen." The girl's boyfriend chuckled, "We have someone paying them off for the time being. So they won't do a thing to help you."

Tridon's expression change and he shook his head, "Robert..." Just as Tridon said this, the girl's boyfriend swung at him, but he narrowly dodged. However, the other guys charged Tridon.

Tridon couldn't fight back and could only block the furry of punches and kicks. So much so that he was forced to the ground and the group of guys proceeded to stomp and punch him on the ground.

Natsuki just stood speechless. She backed up towards the car and quaked in her shoes. Natsuki hugged Tridon's bag and felt something inside. She looked down at Tridon who eventually pushed the guys off of him and snatched the bag from Natsuki.

"Tridon is your..."

Tridon immediately pulled his gun out and aimed it at them. Tridon's faced was bruised and his lip busted when he aimed his gun.

"Back up." Tridon growled, "Just back up."

"You don't have the guts to..." One of the guys started, but Tridon shot right next to his leg, causing him to stumble back.

"Next time I won't miss on purpose."

"You don't..." This time, Tridon shot the same guy twice in his leg, causing him to fall to the ground, grasping his leg, "Ah!"

"Like I said..."

The girl's boyfriend growled and helped his friend up, "You wanna play like that! Watch next time! We'll even it out!"

"Even it out?" Tridon shook his head, "You tried to jump me because you can fight yourself!" The group didn't retaliate as they dragged their injured friend off. However, the head girl shook her head before joining back with her group.

Tridon slid onto his car and sighed. Natsuki squat down next him and wiped some of the blood off his lip with her finger.

"The girls are gonna ask some questions when I get to school tomorrow." Tridon breathed heavily and looked over at Natsuki who teared up, "Hey..." Tridon put a hand on her shoulder and Natsuki tackled him for a hug, "Natsuki?"

"I'm so sorry for always getting you mixed up with them." She sobbed into his chest and continued, "Here you are bruised and possibly in trouble because you shot one of them."

"I'm sure the police will..."

"Tridon. They did this because Robert gave them a pass. We're barely into our second week at school and things are already bad!" Natsuki gripped Tridon's shirt just as Silica strolled outside.

"Natsuki," Tridon started, "I already said that I'd do anything to protect you and the girls. Even if I'm brutally beaten, shot, or mortally wounded, I'll always be there for you." Tridon slightly pushed Natsuki off and wiped tears from her eyes. Silica moved next to her and licked the tears off her face.

"But..."

"Don't worry about my well-being. You know I can just snap myself back to normal."

"C-Can I actually help take care of your bruising and busted lip?"

Tridon chuckled and nodded, "Sure thing."

Back inside her house, Natsuki turned off the oven and walked over to Tridon who was sitting on her couch. He held an icepack on his face and sighed.

"It doesn't hurt too much?"

"It'll probably be sore tomorrow." Tridon leaned back and closed his eyes, "I even said this would happen."

"I know." Natsuki mumbled, "I overheard you and Monika talking one day. After they tried to mess with me last time. I overheard you talking about how her boyfriend would do this."

"I was thinking that you might've."

Natsuki dabbed Tridon's lip and held it on there for a second, "Again, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Tridon sighed and looked out the window, "I'm probably gonna have to explain that scratch to my mom when she sees it this coming spring break."

"Is that not really your car?"

"Yes and no. It's my mom's car, but she's letting me use it until I get my own."

"But you don't have a job."

"You don't have to say that." Tridon leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, "My mom has been bugging me about getting a job. She says that 'If I'm living on my own, I need to provide for my own'. I know it's just her way of saying 'Come back home. We miss you'."

"Your family is very close to you huh?"

"I guess after my father passed away, they're just worried about the next man in the family passing on them." Tridon looked at Natsuki for a second and added, "Well, I guess you girls would feel the same way."

"Obviously." Natsuki confirmed, "Yeah we all have feelings for you, but nothing is worse than losing a friend. Especially one that you love."

"You know," Tridon started, "I could make myself immortal with my power, but there's no point."

"Being immortal seems kinda boring in the long run don't you think?"

"Yeah. I would eventually outlive all humans and have nobody with me. Being immortal would suck."

"Do you think that's what Robert wants with your power?"

"Villains like him would probably want something generic like world domination and then the immortality. He would probably also want to control all the women in the world because the average woman wouldn't willingly be with him."

"I can't imagine myself being with that guy." Natsuki shuddered and sighed, "I don't see how _anyone_ can see anything in him. Not only is he a jerk, but he's a pedophile for trying to marry high school girls. It's horrible."

"I hated myself everyday when Erica married and moved in with that scum bag." He turned to Natsuki and asked, "You do know she's still working with him now, right?"

"Kinda figured that..."

"Tiffany told me that she's not directly working with him because she still loves him. She's doing it to get all of you girls out of the picture."

"That's scary to think about." Natsuki hugged her legs and looked at Tridon, "It's even more scary when you don't the limitations of a jealous, clingy girl."

"I don't think it's too hard. Just think Sayori on a much more psychotic scale."

Natsuki took a second to think about it and nodded, "Yeah I can see it now."

"So did you stop the oven?"

"Yeah. I don't know what else to do after all that."

"Uh, do you know how to hide these bruises so the girls don't question anything?"

"I think I can manage something. Come on." Natsuki grabbed Tridon's hand and led him to the bathroom.

* * *

That next day, Tridon walked out of his final class and noticed Natsuki waiting for him. He smiled at her and joined her.

"Hey there Natsuki. Out early?" The two started to walk together and he asked, "Did you sneak out?"

"Don't paint me in that light you jerk." Natsuki lightly punched Tridon's arm and laughed, "My class let out just slightly earlier than yours. Remember, it's art class."

"So did you just make your way here because you got out earlier?"

"Hehe..."

"Geez." Tridon pat Natsuki on her head and said, "Don't risk yourself just to wait for me."

"I'll be fine."

"I just hope your makeup can fool them. So far, they haven't said anything."

They arrived to the club room together and were instantly met with glaring, accusatory eyes. Tridon chuckled and looked at Natsuki who shrugged her shoulders.'

"What's going on girls?"

"You didn't think we'd notice?" Sayori started. She reached forward and grabbed his wrist, "You two are holding hands!"

"Huh?" Tridon looked at his hand confusingly and muttered, "When did...?" He looked over at Natsuki who looked away blushing, "You..." Before he could get his sentence out, he was suplexed by Sayori and armbarred by Monika and Yuri, "Ah!"

Natsuki watched Tridon being attacked by his friend and saw Lola walk up behind her. She looked down and then to Natsuki.

"Does this happen a lot?" Lola asked.

"You'd be surprised." Natsuki asked. She smiled softly and looked at Tridon, _"I'm pretty sure I cemented myself as his number 1. Good luck catching up girls."_ Natsuki chuckled and smiled brightly, "I'll gladly take my crown when he chooses me."


	39. Tips And Our New Member

Tridon walked into the club room to see Lola sitting alone. He called out, "Alone Lola?"

She looked up and shyly waved at him, "Hey Tridon."

"The best part of our meetings will start soon. Just for now, we'll probably give some creative writing tips or something."

"Do you have any to give?"

"Quite a bit."

"That'll be nice to listen to..."

Tridon sighed and sat next to Lola, "Lola," he started, "are you really okay with doing this whole facade? Don't you think someone else you like might not want you after knowing about our relationship? Whether they know if its fake or not."

"I uh..."

"Having fun you two?" Monika growled as she entered the room, "Look, I know you two are just faking being a couple, but can you not act like it during club meetings?"

"Sorry Monika." Tridon responded, "We're just talking."

"Alright."

"Hello club!" Sayori burst through the doors and took a deep breath, "What's on the agenda today?"

"Wait for the others." Tridon answered.

"Well alright." Sayori looked at the two and asked, "So how is our _fake_ couple doing today?"

"Sayori," Tridon groaned, "don't sound so antagonistic." Tridon pinched Sayori's cheeks and pulled them apart slightly, "You know why I'm doing this."

"Wa-Stwop puwwing my chweeks."

"Why is he pulling her cheeks?" Natsuki asked as she walked into the room with Yuri, "What'd she do."

"Her passive aggression towards their facade." Monika answered.

"Oh." Natsuki nodded.

"Apart from that," Yuri started, "what will we do today?"

"Tridon," Monika called out, "you said you had some writing tips to give today."

"I do." Tridon let go of Sayori's cheeks and walked towards the front of the club, "So I'm sure all of you have enjoyed last semester, but there has been a recurring theme. People tend to forget how their own world works as they write about it more. So much so that they have to use eventual continuity to get added plot points past the readers."

"Like our writer..." Natsuki commented.

_Hey now. Nobody has seemed to notice any of my odd changes or additions._

"Well now they know." Tridon commented, "Anyway," he continued, "due to this fact, people usually create a bible of their world. Or in other words, notes, characters, and plots in a set document of some sort."

"How do you go about making one Tridon?" Yuri asked.

"Well, I usually start with a synopsis. Something that you generally want the story to be. This is so you don't lose sight of the premise to your story."

"I see..."

"Next, I usually add the main characters. This includes, protagonists and antagonists. I'd give a short break down on their personality and backstory. As I update my story's progress, I'd update every other small, _important_ detail of my characters. This is so stuff like continuity won't come into play. Unless it's planned."

"Like in this story where we intentionally break the 4th wall almost every chapter?" Monika responded.

"Exactly." Tridon leaned on the podium next to Monika and continued, "Keeping a story bible helps yourself from not veering off script and changing the plot all together. I've seen a lot of writers completely crash on a story due to their lack of direction and own knowledge of the world they created."

"What about ideas?" Lola began, "How would we even go about choosing a concept?"

"Perfect question." Tridon bent down and quickly back up holding a dart board, "This is what myself, and other writers, like to call the Dart Board Method!" Tridon placed the dart board behind him and took out some large sticky notes, "I'll be giving everyone 6 large sticky notes. On those sticky notes, write your 6 favorite genres. I'll fill out my own to start off the example."

After he handed them out, he quickly wrote on his sticky notes and waited for the girls. He waited patiently until all of them were done.

"Alright girls. Hold onto those sticky notes while I demonstrate this simplistic method." Tridon turned around and placed his sticky notes onto the board and nodded, "So with my 6 genres, I have romance, sci-fi, action, adventure, slice of life, and survival horror. These are 6 genres that I not only like, but I know how to write." He backed up and held up some darts, "Then I throw it randomly and...," Tridon's dart landed on romance and nodded, "we have a romance."

"Could you do double genre on some of your choices?" Yuri asked.

"Of course. The dart board is your oyster. I just provided a simple example."

"Okay." Yuri stepped up and took off Tridon's sticky notes. She placed her own and stepped back, "So I just randomly throw it?"

"Yup."

Yuri looked at the dart board and took a deep breath. She threw the dart and it bounced off the edge of the board and around the classroom.

"Hit the deck!" Natsuki yelled, causing everyone except Tridon to duck down underneath the desks.

"Oh come on." Tridon scoffed, "What are the odds of this actually hitting..." In the middle of Tridon's sentence, the dart came flying towards his eye, but stopped just before it got to it, "Ah..." Tridon fell back and was caught by Yuri, "H-How...?"

"You didn't do that?" Monika asked as she peaked her head from her desk, "How'd it just stop in..." Monika and everyone else stared at Lola who was standing up and holding her hand up, "Lola?"

"U-Uh..." Lola put her hand down and the dart fell with it, "I can explain..."

"I'm not the only one with powers!" Tridon shouted, "No way!" Tridon appeared behind Lola causing Yuri to look at her arms in shock.

"How does he do that?" Yuri mumbled to herself.

"W-What?" Lola asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Tridon turned around and walked for a second, "it's hard to believe."

"He has powers too." The other girls say in unison.

"Yeah that." Tridon nodded and looked at Lola who stared at him, "I have some sort of weird power too."

"You do?"

"Yup." Tridon snapped his fingers and nothing happened, "Notice anything?" She tilted her head and Tridon looked out the window, "Look outside."

Lola stepped towards the window and noticed that the clouds had stopped moving along with birds flying in mid air and bugs seemingly stuck in time.

"You can stop time?"

"Not exactly." Tridon snapped his fingers again allowing time to flow properly, "I alter the planes of reality." Tridon snapped again to allow a random item to appear in his hands, "It's my power. I can change and alter reality to my bidding."

"That's so cool..."

"But you can stop things when they're in motion. It's not necessarily stopping time, but it's something that's so cool."

"Why'd you wait so long to show it us?" Sayori asked while walking up to her, "Were you scared of us thinking differently of you?"

"Kinda." Lola sighed and sat down, "I attended a different school before I cam here. There, I showed people my ability and they avoided me because they were scared of me. They said I was just some mutant and they didn't want anything to do with me."

"That's rough." Natsuki commented.

"Sounds like someone else we know." Monika stated causing them all to look at Tridon, "Right Tridon?"

"Yeah, but I always had Sayori." Tridon walked towards Lola and asked, "You didn't have anyone to turn to, right?"

"No. It's why my cousin enrolled me here last semester. I was very distant from everyone. I didn't want to deal with anyone in case they found out about my power."

"Which made you at target for bullies." Yuri added, "Tch. I hate when bullies prey on those who can't even defend themselves."

"If they threw something at her she could." Sayori commented which earned a light slap from Tridon, "Ow..."

"But you're with us. You're with people who's pretty used to being on the receiving end of malignant people." Tridon placed a hand on Lola's shoulder and squeezed it, "Here, you're more than welcome. Power or no power. You're always welcome here."

"That's right." Monika chimed in, "You're always welcome here at our Literature Club."

"Who's this cousin of yours?" Natsuki asked, "We gotta thank him for giving us a new friend."

"My cousin is..." Lola paused and shook her head, "It's not really important. I know what he did by sending me here helped, but I think it's better to just continue with our club meeting."

"She's right." Sayori added, "It's best to keep on talking about literature in a literature club. Besides, I wanna try the dart board!" Sayori threw her dart and it bounced off the board.

"Hit the deck!" Tridon shouted as he tackled Lola down and the others ducked underneath their desks. Tridon and Lola stared at one another and smiled, "Hey..."

"Hey..."

"I'll get up in..." Before Tridon could say anything else, the dart lodged itself in his asscheek, "Mph..." Tridon flinched and stiffened up while slowly standing up. He looked at the dart and shouted, "Ah!"

The other girls hopped up and winced at Tridon.

"That's gonna hurt to pull out..." Yuri commented. She squat down to try and pull it out, but it was lodged in there, "Ouch..."

"Stop..." Tridon held his hand up and snapped his finger causing the dart to disappear, "Oh man..." Tridon rubbed his cheek and sighed, "Let's stop the Dart Board Method please."

Everyone nodded and they continued on with the rest of their club meeting.

* * *

After the end of their meeting, Yuri and Natsuki waved the others off before leaving the school grounds. This left the rest of to lounge around the front entrance of the school.

"I still think it's cool that you have a power Lola." Tridon laughed, "I thought I was the only freak around here."

"I think it's great to know someone else with powers too." Lola stifled a laugh as the two carried on with their conversation.

Monika and Sayori watched from close to them. They glared at them while pouting their cheeks out.

"Those two..." Monika growled.

Sayori sighed and leaned on a nearby wall, "I guess it's good for his self-esteem."

"What do you mean?"

"He's lived his whole life thinking that he was different from everyone because of his power. Now he meets someone else with powers and the whole world changes around him."

"I see." Monika looked at Tridon carrying on with his conversation with a massive smile on his face, "I guess it's good to see such a big smile on that lovable idiot."

"As long as my best friend is happy, I'm happy. Nothing makes me happier than seeing him happy. God knows he needs some happiness in his life." Sayori crossed her arms and sighed, "Maybe their powers can make our meetings more exciting?"

"How can Lola's do that?"

"Knowing Tridon, he'll probably find a way." Sayori took out her phone and called out to Tridon, "Tridon, it's getting late."

"You girls go on ahead." Tridon responded back, "We're thinking of some ways to combine our powers somehow."

"But Tridon..."

"I'll get home. We're just trying to see how our meetings can be better when I can use my power."

"You're really going to let the two of us walk back home alone?" Sayori teased, "I never thought of you like that."

Tridon thought to himself for a quick second and said, "Why don't you sleepover at my house Lola."

"What?!" The other shout.

"It's kinda been an unconfirmed tradition to sleep at my house on occasion." Tridon commented, "Why not have our new club member spend a night at my house?"

"And the other two?"

"I'll call them to see if they're down."

"We're good!" Yuri shouted from around the corner.

They turned around to see Yuri and Natsuki sprinting towards them still in their school uniforms.

"Did you two never leave?" Monika asked, "You've been eavesdropping?"

"We didn't want Tridon hitting on Lola." Natsuki whispered to Monika and Sayori, "Look at him," Natsuki pointed over to Tridon who was very close to Lola, "apart from me, she's your guys' biggest obstacle."

"Wait what?" Monika growled, "What do you mean 'apart from you' Natsuki?"

"Doesn't matter." Natsuki walked ahead of them and winked.

"Mmm..." Monika groaned.

"So Lola," Tridon started, "will you be fine staying the night?"

Lola was about to say no, but stopped herself. She stared at the ground and smiled. She looked up at the club and nodded.

 _"I don't know why he thinks this group of people are bad."_ Lola said to himself, _"But I have to keep this up. I can't tell them that I'm..."_ Lola shook her head and sighed, _"No. Don't worry about it. You've just met a great group of people. Don't let his judgement misguide you here..."_

"Something wrong Lola?" Sayori asked, "You seem to be lost in thought?"

"Oh. Just thinking about some things." Lola answered, _"I'm going to live this place as I want to. Not how you want me to..."_

* * *

-Epilogue-

Robert walked around in his office while staring outside his massive window. Behind him, a man dressed in swat geared accompanied by other people dressed the same stood behind him.

"What's the news?" Robert asked.

"She's in." The man answered.

"That's good." Robert nodded and smiled, "Keep close tabs on her progress."

"Yes sir. And if she strays from her initial mission?"

"She'll quickly learn what why I'm needing her to do this." Robert turned around and said, "Go. Make sure she doesn't screw up. I have Erica out there already acting on her own volition. I don't need her to do the same."

"Yes sir." The man, followed by the other soldiers, walked out of his office.

Robert leaned forward on his desk and said, "Don't screw this up..."


	40. The Next Day

Tridon woke up to see his floor covered with the other girls and their sleeping bags. Tridon sighed and shook his head.

"Monika has her own room. Why couldn't she sleep in there?" Tridon stood up and carefully walked around the room to avoid stepping on any of them.

However, one of the girls flipped over and left their arm hanging out just as Tridon stepped, causing him to trip and fall onto the ground.

"Blegh!"

The girls shot up to see Tridon face first on the ground. They looked at who tripped Tridon on accident and it was Yuri.

"Oh gosh." Yuri shuffled towards Tridon and slowly held his head up, "Are you okay?"

Tridon groaned and instantly felt something soft on his head, "Yuri," he started, "I feel something soft and I don't think they're the type of melons I would casually allow to touch me."

"A-Ah..." Yuri stuttered and didn't move, "If you don't mind it then..."

"Yuri," Tridon sat up and accidentally rammed his head into her breasts and used his peripheral vision to look at the other girls who were glaring at him specifically, "you might want to let me get up before I'm torn apart."

Yuri slowly let go of Tridon, allowing him to rub the back of his head. He slowly stood up and sighed, "It's the weekend so you 5 of you know where I'll be most of today."

"Huh?" Lola was quick to ask, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Tridon started, "since you know about my power, I can tell you that I go somewhere to analyze and practice on using my power."

"Practice?"

"Last semester, I used my power a lot. Which lead it to becoming unstable. In order to have stabilize itself whenever I use it, I have to go somewhere to use it sparingly and teach my body to not screw itself over while using my power."

"Can we not go with you?" Lola asked.

"You know," Monika began, "you've been going to Tiff's house since late last month, and not once have we even gone or heard about your time there."

"I think it's time you let us." Sayori added.

"I agree." Natsuki chimed in.

"Yes Tridon." Yuri whispered into Tridon's ear quite sadistically and said, "We don't want to be left out."

"I feel so many goosebumps right now that my goosebumps have goosebumps." He looked at the girls who were adamant on going with him, "Oh fine. Tiff won't like it, but I'm sure she'll understand my situation."

* * *

"I just don't understand." Tridon and the girls stood in front of Tiffany who had her arms crossed, "Couldn't you have tried harder?"

"Tiff," Tridon grabbed her shoulders and said, "there's one of me and 5 of them. I don't think I have the best chances against them."

Tiffany could only sigh and say, "Well, you know what to do first."

Tridon slowly turned around and explained to the girls, "Okay. I'm about to strip down to my underwear. Don't freak out or anything." Tridon took off his shirt and looked at the girls, "Just chill." Tridon tossed his shirt to Tiffany and slowly took off his pants.

The girls stared at him with light blushes on their faces. He tossed his pants to Tiffany and looked at the girls once more. He shook his head and clapped loudly.

"Eyes up here ladies." Tridon sighed and walked towards a bed of some sort, "Just get this part over with Tiff."

"You know it'll take a minute."

"I got it."

"W-What's this for Tiff?" Sayori asked.

"It's to measure how unstable his power is at the moment and if he'd use it recently. It lets me know exactly what we're going to do today."

"How has his practice come along?" Sayori followed up.

"It's coming around." Tiffany explained, "I have a file on what tiers he can do."

"Tiers as in?" Lola asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Tiffany looked at Lola and asked, "Who are you exactly?"

"S-Sorry." Lola quickly apologized and introduced herself, "I'm Lola. I just joined the literature club a few days ago. I'm also the new salutatorian for the senior class."

Tiffany looked over to the other girls and then to Tridon, "Alright." She pressed some buttons on a console next to Tridon and walked over to another set of computers, "As for the tiers, I mean on what exactly he can alter in our reality. Whether it's new scenarios or just minor changes. So far he can change the general area around himself. Not around other people. When he does, things become a little unstable."

"So he's not exactly able to do adventures with us yet?" Yuri asked.

"Actually," Tiffany turned around and said, "I have yet to do a large group test. I've only been the only control group. I think it would be good if I observe an different control group if he were to take all of you on an adventure."

"Really?"

"It'll let me see if things become unstable or he's coming around." She took one look at Lola and said, "Sayori, can I talk to you in private for a second?"

"Sure."

The two of them walked to a secluded room away from everyone and Tiffany faced the wall while Sayori confusingly stared at her back.

"Tiff?"

"Lola is with Robert."

"What?"

"Lola is working with Robert. I don't know how, but she's working with him."

Sayori was about to say something, but stopped herself, "Actually..."

"Another girl just randomly just joins the group seems a little off, don't ya' think? Remember what happened to Erica? She joined and was initially normal, but her true colors showed when she made that call to bring Eric here."

"She called him here?"

"Yes. Robert gave her the number and she called him. Erica is willing to do anything to drive you girls away from him. Maybe Robert is using this girl to drive a wedge between all of you. She might not do it intentionally, but she'll win him over the 4 of you."

"I don't think that'll happen..."

"It's happened before and I know it'll happen again." Tiffany walked over to Sayori and handed her a small handheld device, "Watch her closely. As soon as something bad happens, press that button. My team and I will move as fast we can to the location of where you pressed the button."

"I uh..."

"Just keep it on you at all times." Tiff left Sayori alone in the room as she stared at the device.

"I won't need this," Sayori stared at the ground and asked, "right?"

Sayori eventually walked into the other room to see Tridon wearing his pants, but still shirtless. Tiffany was explaining something to the other 4, so Tridon walked over to Sayori.

"Hey best friend." Tridon started, "You two talk about..." Tridon mouthed the name "Lola" and pointed to her, "Don't worry. She said the same thing when I first told her about my fake relationship with her."

"Tridon..."

"Don't worry." Tridon wrapped his arm around Sayori and hugged her, "No matter what happens, I know you'll be there at my side."

"Of course dude." Sayori tried to reach for Tridon's shoulders, but couldn't reach, "Bend down a little?"

"Right." Tridon squat down a little allowing Sayori to put her arm around Tridon's neck.

"Thanks best friend." The two fist bumped before making their way back to everyone.

"Alright Tridon," Tiffany began, "everyone has come to the conclusion that you should make the zombie adventure again."

"From where we left off?" Tridon question.

"Where else?" Natsuki groaned, "Why would we start back from the beginning."

"However, Lola," Tiffany interrupted, "I will need you to lay back while I analyze your own abilities."

"O-Okay..."

"Please get her ready in the other room Jen."

"Yes ma'am." And with that, Jen led Lola out of the room.

"Right." Tridon shook his head and hopped up and down, "Let's see if I can get this right." Tridon snapped his fingers and they were quickly teleported back to the backrooms of the mall they ran into.

"Wow." Monika sighed and nodded, "Been a while since we've seen this."

"Nice job Tridon." Sayori turned around, but noticed that Tridon was gone, "Tridon? Did he not teleport with us?!"

"He's right here." Natsuki answered, "Remember, he got bit."

"Hi." Tridon waved at them and slowly sat up, "The bite hurts, but I don't know when exactly or if I'll turn. So it's just a shot in the dark right now."

"You should patch that up." Yuri commented, "We have to find a first-aid kit somewhere."

"I know I put one somewhere." Tridon slowly stood up and hauled his shotgun around his shoulder, "But we gotta be careful. I don't remember exactly where we are."

"Can you walk on your own?" Monika quickly ran over to offer him her shoulder, but he held his hand up, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. It's not like I was bit in the leg. Just my arm." Tridon looked around and applied pressure to his arm, "We do need to find a way to stop the bleeding and at least slow the infection down."

"Let's head inside this store." Natsuki called out, "It looks like one of those small, modern furniture store." Natsuki peaked inside and instantly saw some beds laid out, "I see some beds. Maybe we can have Tridon sit while one of us tends to his wound."

"I can do it." Yuri said, "After the mountain incident, I took some first-aid classes. I just want to be prepared in case some bad happens."

"Well," Tridon walked over to the bed and placed his shotgun down, "I think it's a little dangerous for us to split just to find some first aid. Maybe we can use one of these bed sheets or something as a makeshift gauze for now."

"I can do that." Yuri offered as she started ripping apart some of the bed sheets, "I always wondered why things still hurt when we're in these alternate realities. Why is that?"

"We're only in another reality." Tridon explained, "Our body would still react to pain and such normally as if we were in our reality." Tridon ringed his arm once Yuri finished wrapping it up and continued, "When we switch in and out of a reality, things remain the same in that particular reality."

"So that explains why your bite still remains, but disappears when we go back to our reality." Yuri nodded, "Reality is a confusing concept."

"It's only confusing if you don't understand its limitations." Tridon laughed, "Something Tiffany has been helping me understand."

"Guys," Sayori called out, "the gate is down." The rest of the group joined Sayori by the entrance of the store and it was indeed blocked by a gate, "It won't budge."

"Hm..." Tridon looked around and walked over to one of the shelves in the store, "Maybe we could..."

* * *

A few moments later, the shelf flew out of the store's large display window. The club stepped out while wiping their hands.

"That worked." Tridon groaned, "Just wish I wasn't bit."

"Now what do we do?" Natsuki asked, "We don't even know if this place is empty."

"And we need find proper first-aid for Tridon's bite." Monika added, "He needs more than just a sheet cover."

"Splitting up would be too dangerous." Tridon mumbled, "For now, we check the main entrance. Make sure that's locked and secure. We'll figure out what we'll do from there."

The girls nodded and the group made their way to the entrance. Tridon checked the main entrance door and it was locked. He sighed and looked up before turning to the girls again.

"Well, no gate to cover the entrance, but these doors aren't going to break if a bunch of zombies repeatedly bang on 'em."

"For how long though?" Yuri quickly asked, "You saw how fast and strong those things you wrote are. Why'd you write them like that?"

"It's exciting isn't it?" Tridon chuckled, "Slow zombies are nice and deadly in hordes, but sprinting zombies in massive hordes are nightmarish."

"How did you end this story?" Monika asked, "We haven't really touched this since we first did it."

"I wrote until that bitten part. What we're doing now is literally just us doing our thing." Tridon looked around and sighed, "We'll have to make sure the other entrances are secure and we gotta make sure the stores are clear. We don't need to do much for this test scenario. Just do that and we'll figure it out from there."

"Alright." Sayori stepped up to Tridon and held her hand out, "Give me the shotgun."

"What?"

"I'll go check the other entrances."

"I'm not giving you the shotgun."

"At least give it to one of us while we check the stores." Natsuki interrupted, "We can't go around without something to protect ourselves with."

"Wait a minute." Tridon snapped his fingers and 3 handguns appeared on the floor near them, "Here," Tridon picked them up and handed them to the girls, "I shouldn't explain how to use a gun."

"We'll stay here up front." Monika offered as she pulled Tridon to sit down on a nearby fountain, "I'll check his bite wound and do what I can with it." Monika turned to Yuri and Natsuki to ask, "Can one of you find a first-aid kit anywhere?"

"We'll try." Yuri answered.

"But you can't _try_ anything Monika." Natsuki firmly added, "No cheating while we're gone Monika."

The 3 girls left leaving Monika to sigh and unwrap the wound on Tridon's arm. She watched as blood lightly leaked out of the wound before waterfalling out of it. She quickly covered it back up and sighed.

"I hope they find a first-aid kit." Monika looked at Tridon who proceeded to fiddle with the shotgun he had in his hands. She thought back to what he said earlier and asked, "So there are different versions of us when you make these realities?"

"More or less. Your body changes depending on the scenario I make. Since we've been to this reality before, it takes the place of what happened last night. Which explains why I still have my bite. I could just poof it away, but Tiffany tells me that I must keep everything as it is until she completes further testing."

"How long will tests go?"

"She said no longer than halfway through the school year. She said at most, before or after spring break."

"That long before we can do actual adventures?"

"We can do adventures, but they'll be more controlled and under the jurisdiction of Tiff."

"Hm." Monika thought to herself and asked, "Do you think you see yourself being like Tiff in the future?"

Tridon looked up and shook his head, "Probably not. If my NFL career doesn't take off, then I'll probably go into either sports journalism or on the analyst side of things. Maybe start a podcast. Maybe something that I can still include you girls in."

"That's nice, but I think journalism would be more down Yuri's side since you both are in Photography."

"True, but we've had fun doing stuff like that. I think it'll be nice if her and I partner up to report on sports and such."

"That'll be cool."

"For now though, I have to think about my future in football." Tridon stood up and walked around the fountain, "Looks like the one in the park."

"You said parts of these realities take form of things from our reality."

"Yeah. Whether that's people, buildings, or other structures like this." Tridon paused and turned around and saw a zombie glaring at him. Monika stood nearby backing up.

Tridon took a deep breath and aimed at the zombie, but it lunged at him as he shot, making him miss and tackling him into the fountain.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sayori had finished checking the last entrance and sighed in relief, "Good. Now we're safe from those zombies outside." Sayori started to walk off until a group of zombies ran into the door and proceeded to bang on it. Sayori quickly turned around in shock and laughed, "Haha stupid zombies. These doors are shatterproof. Bunch of idiots." Just as Sayori said this, the door started to crack , "Oh..." Sayori backed up and ran the other way just as the door burst open.

Natsuki and Yuri walked into the last store with Natsuki aiming, but found nothing. Natsuki nodded and turned to Yuri.

"Well, we're clear in every store." Natsuki commented, "We should meet back up everyone."

"Yeah. I don't want them to be in trouble while Tridon is bit." Just as Yuri said this, they heard the shotgun go off, "Oh no!"

"Let's go Yuri!"

"Right!"

Tridon wrestled with the zombie in the fountain while Monika stood shocked at what was happening. Tridon groaned while trying to fight the zombie off.

"Monika!" Tridon shouted, "Help!"

Monika froze while Tridon looked for her to help him. Sayori eventually made it back and saw what was happening.

"Monika!" Sayori shouted, "What are you doing just standing there?!" Sayori aimed at the zombie and shouted, "Keep your mouth closed Tridon!" Tridon did as she instructed and kept his mouth shut while she shot.

Tridon coughed when it dropped dead and he brushed off himself. Sayori picked up his shotgun and tossed it over to him.

"No time to rest dude." Sayori added, "We gotta get going! They got in!" Sayori ran passed them while Tridon looked back to see the zombies tripping over one another and seeing them.

"Come on Monika!" Tridon grabbed Monika who started to sprint with Sayori back to where Natsuki and Yuri were.

Tridon stopped and fired into the group, but failed to kill any of them. Tridon cursed to himself and joined back up with the others.

Yuri and Natsuki eventually met them at the top of the stairs and saw what had happened. They both fired into the swarm with Sayori while Monika ran behind them. Tridon was still far behind them.

He started head up, but his legged was grabbed, causing him to trip on the stairs. His cushioned his fall with his hands and quickly turned around to hit the zombies with the butt of his shotgun.

"Help me girls!" Tridon shouted.

Before they could move, Monika sprinted down and grabbed him by his arms to try and pull him up. However, this took away the only way he could push them back with them biting his legs or grabbing. As soon as she started pulling, they bit into his legs.

"Ah!"

"Tridon!" Sayori snapped and quickly, they were back in Tiffany's house. Sayori stood shocked at what she had just done.

Tiffany looked at Sayori and then to Tridon who was still on the ground. She nodded and walked over to Sayori.

"It took you this long to finally use it?"

"I..."

_To Be Continued... In the next chapter obviously._


	41. Finishing This Beef

Natsuki stared at the large convention center while holding a foil tray. She backed up into Tridon who caught her. She turned to look at him before turning back to the convention center.

"We'll do fine with our submissions." Tridon reassured Natsuki and squeezed her shoulders lightly, "We worked our butts off to make the perfect submission for this and I know for a fact we'll be in the top 3."

"I know. I'm just nervous. We didn't make it last time because of those bullies. Now that they have a pass from a Robert..."

"Hey," Tridon put his arm around Natsuki and smiled, "we worked hard on this. I'm not gonna let a bunch of 20 year old perverts who don't have anything better to do with their lives than to harass a bunch of high school kids mess with you."

"Haha..." Natsuki chuckled lightly and took a deep breath, "You're right. Win or lose. We have to show up and show 'em who's boss!"

"That's right!"

* * *

Once the two were inside and waiting in line to sign up, Natsuki that there were certainly a lot of females at the competing. In fact, it was almost nothing but females at the convention center to watch or participate in the competition.

Natsuki then noticed that a lot of the girls were very pretty and ogling Tridon, but he was too dense to see it as he was observing the other participant's baked goods.

Natsuki stepped closer to Tridon, but stepped too close and ended up stepping on his shoes.

"Oh sorry Natsuki." Tridon scooted over a little and got back to observing the competition. Natsuki frowned and faced away from him.

* * *

Once they were signed up, Natsuki and Tridon setup at their respective table. Tridon, however, continued checking his phone. Or what seemed to look like a phone.

Natsuki grew worried and asked, "What do you keep looking at?"

"Tiffany had me do a big adventure for practice and it got a little unstable. She said a side effect are random changes in our reality. So I'm using this device she gave me," Tridon took out what he was looking at and showed it Natsuki, "to keep track of something that's a little too much to explain right now."

"It's fine. I can get the gist of it." Natsuki stared at the tin foil trays she sighed and leaned on the table, "Do you think we'll win?"

"Win is a stretch." Tridon answered, "I would like to win, but with everything that's happened so far, I'm fine with just being here with you."

"O-Oh..." Natsuki blushed and rubbed her arm, "Thanks dude..."

"No problem. What are friends for?"

Natsuki expression changed when she heard Tridon use the term 'friend' so casually to describe their relationship. Natsuki let out a soft sigh and sat down. She rested her head on the table while Tridon still observed their competitors.

"Tridon I..."

"Hold that thought Natsuki." Tridon interrupted her and said, "Trouble down ahead." Tridon pointed in front of them and the girl and her boyfriend were seen walking around, "They don't have the whole group, but it's best to be cautious."

"Tridon..."

"Don't worry. There's too many people for them to try anything."

"Still. They have the pass from Robert. He might just hit 'em with a pardon."

"Doesn't matter. They try something, he won't help them because that would make him look bad. It'll be their ass if they try something that'll harm the public while they target us."

"I guess you're right."

"Plus, Tiffany is on the sidelines ready to assist if she needs to."

"Okay..."

"Just focus on the competition..." Tridon slowly grabbed Natsuki's hand and smiled at her, "Focus on us."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Hey Natsuki." Natsuki turned around to see it was the girl she helped at the bake sale last year.

"Oh. Julie. Hey there."

"I see you've gotten close since I last saw you two together." Julie stared at the two holding hands, "Finally asked him out huh? Or did he finally make his choice."

"J-Julie!" Natsuki jumped up blushing while trying to hush her friend.

Tridon could only laugh as he attention drew to Natsuki's bully and her boyfriend. He stared at them and noticed at Natsuki's bully stared daggers at him in particular. Not much so Natsuki, but him specifically.

Tridon stared back and chuckled. He stood up and joined Natsuki by her friend who were talking to one another.

"So he's still trying to make his decision huh?" Julie looked at Tridon and sighed, "Tridon, you should really choose already. I mean, it seems like you got the perfect girl for you right here."

"Julie..."

"I mean," Tridon put his arm around Natsuki and smiled, "she's not all too bad. We have tons of fun when we hang out."

"Ah!" Julie cupped her cheeks and squirmed, "I understand you two are 18, but you're still in high school."

"N-No Julie!" Natsuki tried to stop her friend from saying anymore while Tridon laughed. He turned around and noticed that Natsuki's bully, Chelsea, stood across from with only the table separating them.

"Hello there."

"Why do you play with her like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Teasing her. Messing with her feelings like that."

"That sure means a lot coming from you Chelsea." Tridon chuckled and shook his head, "Even after all the bs you've pulled our last few encounters." Tridon looked around and noticed her boyfriend wasn't with her, "Where's your boyfriend? You know. That 20 year old deadbeat that used to be my teammate."

"He's in the bathroom." Chelsea sighed and said, "We're not here to cause trouble. After what happened last time, I just don't trust being around you or you being around her."

"Why are you so protective of her now?"

"I know this is stupid to ask, but can I talk to you in private?"

"Not the stupidest thing you've said, but it's still pretty stupid." Tridon looked over at Natsuki who was still talking to Julie, "What do you have to say to me that can't be said in front of everyone else?"

"It's about the deal my boyfriend signed with Robert and what I know about you."

Tridon stared at Chelsea and looked around. He walked from behind the table and said, "Meet me outside in front of the convention center. I'll tell Natsuki I'll be gone for a little bit."

"Outside? In front of others?"

"By the side. Where nobody really is. Now go." Tridon sighed and interrupted Natsuki's conversation with Julie, "Hey Natsuki, I'm gonna be going to the bathroom right quick."

"Oh alright. Hurry back."

* * *

Tridon met Chelsea outside and the two stared daggers at one another. Tridon leaned on the wall of the convention center and closed his eyes.

"I'm strapped right now." Tridon lifted his jacket to reveal his gun, "So if you try anything..."

"I'm not gonna try anything. My boyfriend however..."

"I know how crazy that guy is. I did know him in middle school before you probably met him."

"Then you would probably know that it was him that signed the agreement with Robert to give us a pass to do whatever to you and you specifically."

"So is Natsuki suppose to be some sort of sacrificial lamb for you?"

"I didn't want to sign it. I didn't want to deal with you after I met you last year."

"Why is that?"

Chelsea sighed and crossed her arms, "I used to be friends with Natsuki. Ever since elementary school, we've been friends. However, when we got to high school, the stupid hierarchy separated us."

"How so?"

"Don't you remember? I'm on the volleyball team. Natsuki is an outsider who likes reading manga, playing video games, and overall, being geeky."

"Your point is?"

"When you're a 'jock', you can't assert yourself like that or be friends with people like that. It's the high school hierarchy taking effect. I was peer pressured into bad-mouthing Natsuki and it eventually led to me being the head of it."

"Why not stop before it got worse rather than prolonging her torment?"

"I had no choice. High school is a dangerous place to be like Natsuki or anyone who lost what they had. Take a look at Monika. She was number one for the last 4 years, then she loses that and drops to below hundreds. How do you think people see her now?"

"Another pretty face in a see of nobodies..."

"Exactly. The hierarchy can change in the blink of an eye. It's what happened to me and there was nothing I could do."

"So why are you dragging me out here? Did Robert tell you who and what I am?"

"Yes. When I saw you with her, I thought it was weird. The number 2 guy in our class hanging out with her. So I did some of my own probing."

"Probing, how?"

"Let's just say I did spy on your club meetings."

"And you saw me use my power."

"That's right." Chelsea faced Tridon and said, "So I went to Robert with my boyfriend and he told us that he wanted you out of the picture. I immediately wanted to say no, but my boyfriend had other plans. He said he wanted to finish some business with you."

"I guess he didn't like his unconscious body being dragged away by some police officers."

"Tridon, my boyfriend will stop at nothing until you're completely out of the picture. Robert said he would pay him top dollar to see you dead, but I think it's getting to him."

"He's too stupid to realize that Robert is only using him to get information on me and my friends. As for you, why don't you just break up with that idiot and quit the volleyball team."

"I've already quit the volleyball team, but I can't break up with him."

"Why is that?"

"I'm contractually bound to remain at his side until either he dies, you die, or he terminates his contract."

"Sounds like a contract Robert would have him sign."

"I'm not telling you to kill him or fake your death. I need you to force him into terminating his contract with Robert."

"What do I get out of this?"

"I won't bother Natsuki anymore and I won't report your powers to the government."

"Right." Tridon groaned and scratched his head, "Fine. Here's my deal. You get him away from here for today and tell him to meet me at the lake outside the city. Got it?"

"Alright." Chelsea watched Tridon walk off and shouted, "What are you gonna do?!"

"I'm gonna end my beef with that idiot."

Tridon walked over to Natsuki to say, "Hey Natsuki, sorry to interrupt but I gotta go."

"What?" Natsuki turned to him in shock and asked, "Why? What happened?"

"I can't say. It s family matter. I'm sorry." Tridon turned to Julie and asked, "Julie, can you take over for me here?"

"Yeah sure. Is it something serious?"

"Very." Tridon quickly answered, "I'm sorry Natsuki. I know you were looking forward to this day, but I have no control over it. I'll make it up to you."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Good luck Natsuki!" Tridon shouted while walking off, "I know you'll win this!"

Natsuki watched Tridon leave and clenched her jacket. She looked at Julie who looked at her back.

"Will you be fine?"

"Yeah. It's his family. I trust him."

* * *

30 minutes later, Tridon waited under the tree with his arms crossed waiting for Chelsea to bring her boyfriend. Tiffany spoke to him through an earpiece while he waited.

"This is very stupid of you. You do know that, right?"

"Of course I do, but it's the only way to finish what I started with that guy."

"Remember, my team is here to make sure he doesn't try anything too big."

"Yup." Tridon looked off towards the trees surrounding the area and chuckled, "Just don't miss or kill them."

"We won't miss and we're using tranq darts. It won't kill them, but it sure as hell will drop 'em."

"Alright." Tridon noticed Chelsea with her boyfriend, but he noticed shadows far in the distance, "You see 'em, right Tiff?"

"Right. Putting 'em down now."

Chelsea's boyfriend walked forward and heard the sound of grass being crushed behind them along with loud thuds. He snickered and stared daggers at Tridon.

"So, you don't have you friends to back you up." Tridon commented, "Your girlfriend's crew isn't here and I have people watching over me and my friends."

"My target is you Tridon." He growled, "Do you know how much he's gonna pay me if I kill you?" He smirked and answered, "7 figures."

"Really now?" Tridon sarcastically responded.

"You got a big bounty on your head that a lot of people want. Robert wants you dead or alive. I prefer dead, so that's what I'm gonna do."

"Alright," Tridon took out his gun and tossed it to the side, "but I have some pent up aggression right now. So I'm gonna make this job for you harder than ever."

"Don't be reckless Pierce." Tiffany interrupted, "Your combat training is-."

"I know enough to put this fool down." Tridon cracked his knuckles and said, "Besides. 5 minutes is all I need."

* * *

Meanwhile at the convention center, Natsuki couldn't keep her mind off of Tridon and his abrupt absence. She knew that he didn't leave for a family matter. It was something about Chelsea and her boyfriend.

"Natsuki," Julie started, "are you worried about Tridon?"

"W-What? No. I'm just..." Natsuki sighed and looked around, "I'm skeptical about his excuse."

"Why?"

"I just don't buy it."

"Do you want to get him?"

Natsuki thought for a second and quickly answered, "Yes."

"Alright." Julie put her hand on Natsuki's shoulder and said, "Go to him. Go."

"R-Right..." Natsuki ran off she started to call the others, "I hope this idiot didn't go and get himself into trouble..."

* * *

Tridon and Chelsea's boyfriend circled around for a short moment before Chelsea's boyfriend tried to punch him, but Tridon grabbed his arm and chopped his ribs swiftly before pushing him back.

"Come on." Tridon probed, "Don't you want that money? You gotta work for it if you really want it."

Chelsea's boyfriend threw a very wide punch, but Tridon ducked under and punched his ribs again.

"Quit toying with him Pierce." Tiffany ordered, "End it now."

Tridon shook his head and said, "Do you really need this? Are you so sure that he'll actually give you the money, or do you know that you're just an expendable resource to him like everybody else he's tricked."

Tridon watched him snarl under his breath while he readied himself for him to charge at him again, "Bring it you meathead..."

Tiffany watched with her crew and turned her attention to the nearby road. She noticed Natsuki with the rest of the club and she shook her head. She fired a warning shot at them, causing them to stop in their tracks.

Tiffany ran over to the road and stopped them, "Hold up." Tiffany started, "I know what you all want to do."

"What is he doing?" Natsuki quickly asked, "What is it?"

"He's handling business right now."

"Why couldn't you handle it?" Natsuki berated, "Isn't that your job?"

"My _job_ is to make sure Tridon can handle things on his own. What I'm doing now is going beyond my boundaries."

"Don't you gave to watch for her boyfriend's group?"

"Already taken care of." Tiffany responded, "Right now, it's one on one. It's time they squash their beef."

Tridon knocked Chelsea's boyfriend to the ground and he scoffed at him. Chelsea's boyfriend was already breathing heavily, covered in grass and dirt, all while he knew that his ribs were brusied and/or broken.

"This is sad." Tridon commented, "You do know he's not going to pay you a million dollars to deal with me because he knows you can't. You're just a washed up high school dropout. He knows your expendable. Why'd you think he tried to sign you up? It's because he knew you'd be desperate enough to be sign."

"Shut it..." He growled.

"You need to know when to quit and terminate the contract."

"Shut up..."

Tridon shook his head and grabbed him by his throat. He snapped his fingers and a hole opened below him.

"If I can't convince you, maybe a little fear can." Tridon let go a finger and said, "Terminate your contract or you'll turn into a little speckle of ash when you drop you to the core of the earth."

"I..."

"Just terminate it!" Chelsea shouted, "I can't handle this anymore! I can't handle you!"

"What?"

"Listen to her." Tridon threatened as he let another finger go.

"When did he get so strong?" Monika commented in shock, "We knew he was strong, but he's holding him with just a few fingers that high for so long."

"The training I put him through ever since that special ops adventure you lot had will do that." Tiffany answered, "He needed to gain more strength, endurance, and speed."

"That explains how he took that beating..." Natsuki said under her breath.

"Just stop this!" Chelsea yelled, "I never wanted any of this, but all you cared about was money to fuel your alcohol and drug addictions. I tried to help you, but you just kept making everything worse and worse! I can't take it anymore! I can't keep hurting my best friend or someone she loves!"

"Chelsea..."

"Do you understand what you're putting her through?" Tridon berated, "You love her. I can tell, but you love booze and drugs that much more. Which led you to sign this contract that was never meant to be. You could've worked yourself to get sober, but you chose to fuel those addictions by lies fed to you by a bastardized man and his company." Tridon snapped his fingers again, closing the hole back up. He threw him next to Chelsea and said, "Terminate the contract with Robert and fix yourself. Maybe then, and just maybe, you can live a better life."

Tridon walked past them and stopped to say to Chelsea, "As for you," he turned to her and said, "reconcile with your so called your best friend. I know what it's like to lose 'em. I know it all too well." Tridon walked over to his gun and picked it back up, "I saw something in you when this idiot and his friends jumped me. I notice things and I knew that you didn't want things going this far." Tridon tapped the grip of his revolver on her head and said, "I think this where you find new friends. Starting with Natsuki." Tridon walked off leaving Chelsea with her boyfriend.

She turned to face him and nodded.

* * *

An hour or so later, Chelsea and her boyfriend stood in front of Robert who had his eyes closed while his hands were clasped in front of his face.

"I see. A termination to our contract." Robert stood up and turned towards the massive window in his office that loomed over downtown, "I'm surprised it took you this long to terminate it, but nonetheless, you were useful." He looked at them from the corner of his eyes and said, "You do know that this means that you won't be receiving your payment right?"

"We understand." Chelsea answered, "We don't even care about the money at this point. We just want our lives back."

"You know, technically, you both failed in your mission and termination of our contract leads to your own termination."

Both Chelsea and her boyfriend notice Robert take out a gun from his coat and proceed to fire at them.

Chelsea's boyfriend pushed her out the way and took 5 shots to his back. Chelsea shuffled back while Robert stood impressed.

"So you take those shots for nothing. Hmph." Robert aimed at Chelsea and shot at her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tridon met with Natsuki berating him.

"How could you do that without telling anybody!" Natsuki shouted while strangling him, "You had us worried sick."

"Actually," Monika started, "I wasn't all to worried."

"Me neither." Sayori agreed.

"Mhm." Yuri and Lola nod in agreement while Natsuki stared at them in shock.

"I've learned to be more prepared when dealing with them and anything set up by Robert. Tiff's made sure of that."

"I think it's best if you all head home now." Tiffany commented, "Tridon, I'll take Monika back to your house. I think you owe Natsuki something."

"Right..."

* * *

After the others left, Tridon and Natsuki sat under the tree by the lake. They sat on other sides of the tree while neither said anything. Natsuki hugged her knees while Tridon stared at the moon shining onto the water's surface.

"Natsuki," Tridon started, "I..."

"No. I should've expected you to do something. Especially when Chelsea came to the table to talk to you."

"I should've known that you noticed." Tridon sighed and ripped out some grass, "I just wanted to end it so that you wouldn't have to worry about anything. I didn't want them tormenting you anymore."

Natsuki didn't say anything. She just scooted next to Tridon. Silence filled the air again as the pair sat next to one another.

Tridon broke the silence to say, "What if I chose you, hm?"

"H-Huh?!"

"What I chose you as the one I date." Tridon repeated, "How would you react."

"Tridon..."

"Because I've been thinking," Tridon turned to face Natsuki and said, "what if we can make it work?"

"B-But..."

"I feel our connection, but I don't know if we'll actually work. So how about we go for a test run. You know. We go out for a little bit."

"But your relationship with Lola. What about that?"

"That's a platonic relationship just to keep the bullies off her back. Ours, although we'll have to hide it at school, can be a little more intimate. So how about it?"

Natsuki stared at Tridon and smiled brightly, "Yes!" Natsuki tackled Tridon for a hug and squeezed hard, "Even if it's just a trial run, I'll make the best of it!"

"Sweet. Now uh," Tridon held Natsuki and said, "remember when we were here alone last time?"

"Don't remind me."

"Wanna make up for it?" Without even missing a beat, Natsuki smashed her lips onto Tridon. He quickly pushed off and said, "Whoa there." Tridon moved his tongue around in his mouth and said, "Okay, you need more practice. I think you cut my lip or something."

"Oh no. I'm sorry. You know I've never done this before."

"Well, maybe this trial run can be a learning experience for you." Tridon stood up and helped Natsuki to her feet to say, "For now, we can be intimate while we're alone, but the minute we're in school, I would have to start my platonic relationship with Lola."

"Hm," Natsuki thought to herself and said, "you're in quite a pickle. Technically, you're in a relationship with two girls. Me and Lola. One is platonic and one is for a test run. How do you think the others will react?"

"Not well, but I'm sure you know that I'm practically invincible to the suplexes and submission holds you girls put me through." Tridon stared into Natsuki's eyes and said, "You know, you were very abrasive when we first met. Often calling me stupid, idiotic, and weird. Seeing you like this is kinda..."

"Cute?"

"I would say weird, but yeah." Tridon smirked and moved to her ear, "You're also very fun to tease." Tridon nibbled Natsuki's neck, making her yelp, "See?"

"Did you do this a lot with Erica?"

"Well, I have experience from it because she liked being intimate." Tridon back up and moved Natsuki's bangs, "This won't be so bad, but remember, this is only for a trial run. We can't go too far, okay?"

"Yeah." Natsuki shied away and asked, "Can I have one last kiss? You know, one that doesn't cut your lip or gums?"

"Sure." Tridon slowly planted his lips on Natsuki's for a short second before backing away, "That was a good kiss."

"Wow..."

"Now," Tridon held Natsuki's hand and said, "I'll take you home."

"Yeah..."

* * *

Tridon drove Natsuki back home with one hand. He drove with one hand because his other hand was clasped with Natsuki's. Both of them with small smiles on their face. Once Tridon stopped in front of her house, he turned to her and kissed her on her lips.

"You'll be getting a lot of these during our test run."

"And I'm gonna take each one happily."

"Alright, now go on. Your dad is probably worried."

"Yeah." Natsuki hopped out the car and said, "Cya later Tridon. I uh..." Natsuki paused and finally said, "I love you."

"Me too."

Natsuki walked towards her front door and turned back to Tridon. She waved to him and he waved back. Once Natsuki was inside, Tridon drove off.

* * *

On his way back to his house, Tridon was driving back home when he noticed someone stumbling along the road in the distance. He scoffed at them as he got closer.

"Stupid drunk." However, as he passed by, he saw Chelsea holding her stomach and blood trickling down her legs. He immediately stopped the car right next to her just as she collapsed, "Chelsea?!"

He saw 3 bloody holes on her jacket and he swore to himself. He picked her up and placed her into his passenger seat. He took out his phone and called Tiffany.

"Tiff," he started, "I need you at my house right now. I need some help." Tridon looked back at Chelsea and snapped his fingers.

Chelsea's bullet wounds disappeared, but she was still unconscious. After Tridon used his powers to fix her, his vision grew blurry. He also felt a sharp pain in his back. He felt groggy and his head hurt. Tridon fell to one knee and breathed sharply.

"Damn it." Tridon slowly stood up and stumbled to his car, but failed to make to the driver side of the car before he collapsed to the ground. He felt his back and felt something sticky. He snickered before he had fell unconscious.

A car passing by noticed him and instantly went to help Tridon and Chelsea. In the bushes nearby, a hooded figure walked off while concealing a firearm.


	42. Enigma

"Tridon!" Tiffany shouted, "Open up!"

Monika opened the door still half asleep asking, "Why are you here so late Tiff?"

"Tridon told me to meet him at his house and that he needed help?"

"What? He hasn't come back yet."

"Oh no." Tiffany walked past Monika and took out her phone, "That boy..."

"What's going on?"

"Either something went wrong on the way back to his house, or he found trouble for himself."

"Should I get the others?"

"It's probably for the best. I'll try and figure out where he his."

Monika ran over to Sayori's house and rung her doorbell repeatedly. Sayori immediately opened the door and sighed.

"I know." Sayori responded, "I've been watching to see when he got back, but he never did."

"Girls," Tiffany interrupted, "we need to go to the hospital right now."

"What?"

* * *

After grabbing Natsuki, Yuri, and Lola, the girls arrived at the hospital and asked the main desk where Tridon Pierce was at. After getting that information, they took the elevators to the MICU.

Once they arrived, they were stopped to see that visiting hours weren't allowed until 6 that next morning. Natsuki walked up to the door and proceeded to bang on it.

"Natsuki!" Monika and Yuri held her back while she continued banging and kicking on the door, "Chill out Natsuki!"

"No!" She shouted, "I need to see him!"

The door opened with a doctor standing at the entrance. Tiffany confronted him and flashed her badge. The doctor looked at the others and sighed.

"I take it you're all with that young boy that was taken in earlier, correct?"

"That's right." Tiffany answered, "We need to know his condition. I know we can't see him, but we need to know how he is right now."

"Very well." The doctor nodded and said, "Follow me and we'll discuss his condition along with the girl that was with him."

"Girl?" Tiffany mumbled under her breath.

* * *

Once the group and the doctor were situated away from the ICU, the doctor began, "Mr. Pierce had suffered a gunshot wound to his lower back. Thankfully, the bullet went straight through, but he's still schedule for an x-ray in case fragments from the shell are still inside of him."

"Do we know how he was shot and the caliber of the round?" Tiffany asked.

"We do not know that information yet. However, for it to travel straight through, the assailant might've been relatively close to Mr. Pierce before taking the shot. Right now, he is stable, but we noticed that he was very weak and his oxygen levels were rather low. So right now, he's asleep while being assisted through a ventilator."

"But he's stable?" Natsuki quickly asked.

"He is. His recovery will be quick, so I'll expect him to be out in the next few days."

"Good..." Natsuki sighed in relief and gripped her jacket.

"As for this girl that was with her," Sayori started, "who was it exactly?"

"We able to identify her as Chelsea Greene." The group perked up as the doctor continued, "Same age as Mr. Pierce and seemed to be in worse shape than him."

"How so doctor?" Monika asked.

"She had 3 apparent bullet wounds on her clothing. However, when we examined her, they were gone. As if they were magically healed." The doctor looked at Tiffany specifically and asked, "Is Mr. Pierce to be whst people would call an Enigma?"

"Enigma?" Monika, Natsuki, and Yuri ask in unison.

Tiffany sighed and looked around before answering, "Yes. He is an Enigma. He's not the only one in this group either."

"I expected as much." The doctor commented, "Is that why you're here?"

"He is my client, so I have to watch him every way that I can."

"FBI Enigma clients aren't to be this well taken care of by an FBI agent. Normally they would purposely leave them alone to deal with their own problems. It's quite shocking to see an agent worried about a client."

"I have a history with my client. A long history."

"Well, I have to ask you if you could hand over reigns of his treatment to me and my team."

"What?" Tiffany stood up and confronted the doctor, "Not a chance doctor."

"It seems you've overstepped your boundaries as his overwatch. I'm surprised your superiors don't know the extent you're going to protect this man and his friends."

"Like I said, we have history."

Natsuki wanted to lunge at this man and and just choke him out, but she stopped herself. She looked at the others and saw that they were wanting to do the same. Natsuki bounced her knee and watched Tiffany confront the doctor.

"I'm watching him and I'm not letting anyone else watch over him." Tiffany looked at the girls and said, "Where is Ms. Greene?"

"4th floor. Room 4021."

"Let's go girls. Let's go see if she's seen what happened."

"Tiffany," Yuri started, "what did the doctor mean 'Enigma'?"

"It's the name people have given to people with powers." Lola answered for Tiffany, "It stuck and it's what people refer to us now."

"That's right." Sayori added, "I don't know how we never told you girls what the name for people with powers was. Totally slipped my mind."

* * *

Once they arrived at her room, they noticed her staring off into space. Chelsea couldn't get the image of her boyfriend being gun downed right in front of her, then being shot immediately after.

That scenario replayed in her head until Tiffany started, "Ms. Greene."

"Huh?"

"Hmph." Tiffany walked over to her bed and asked, "Do you know what's happened these last few hours?"

"No. I don't." She answered, "I didn't even know what happened. I just remember stumbling down the road before everything went back. I just woke up a few moments." Chelsea fell silent for a short second before adding, "I really only remember my last few moments at Robert's main building."

"What happened?"

"Robert gunned us down when we terminated our contract."

"I'm assuming you and your boyfriend, correct?"

"That's right." Chelsea stared at the blanket over her and sighed, "He was gunned down and I guess killed. He took 5 shots to the back before Robert turned his attention to me."

"How'd you escape?" Tiffany probed.

"I don't think you should keep asking her these questions when it happened not even a few hours ago." Sayori interrupted, "Let her regather her bearings."

"No. It's fine." Chelsea looked up at the group and answered, "I managed to back away from his first set of shots, but when I stood up to try and run, he got 3 shots on me. The last I remember is seeing 2 of his soldiers pick me up and toss me on some sort of back road. I was hoping someone would find me before I passed out from blood loss."

"Is that all you remember?"

"Yes. I heard a muffled voice for second. Next thing I knew, I was here."

"So you didn't even know who saved you?"

"I would assume Tridon since you're all here." Chelsea looked around and didn't even notice Tridon with them, "Where is he? I have to thank him for saving me despite everything that I had done to Natsuki."

"He's in the MICU." Natsuki softly answered.

"What?!"

"When he tried to save you, he was also shot, albeit from a much stronger round."

"But..."

"Now it makes sense." Lola started, "They dropped her off somewhere, but where they dropped her off wasn't by chance. They would have to know the route Tridon would take back home so that he would notice her bleeding out on the road."

"You mean I was followed the minute those soldiers chucked me out onto the road?"

"I knew those abrasions on your wrists weren't normal." Sayori commented, "However, I don't think you were just chucked on the road. You would have abrasions along your arm from sliding across the asphalt. You were more than likely set there so that this person could start tailing you."

"We'll know more once we figure out what caliber the round was." Tiffany interrupted.

"I have a feeling as to who took the shot." Yuri commented, "Remember, Tridon still has 2 well-known enemies apart from Robert and only one of those would take drastic measures to get what they want."

Everyone except Lola and Yuri answered, "Erica."

"Who?" Lola immediately questioned.

"She was Tridon's ex-girlfriend." Monika answered, "She was normal at first, but we found out that she's been working with Robert in order to kinda take Tridon back."

"So she's like an obsessive ex-girlfriend?"

"That's right." They answer Lola in unison.

"Wait," Chelsea interrupted, "if that's the case, then why would she deliberately wound him that much? It just seems counter intuitive."

"Crazy girl plus crazy obsession can lead to very outlandish things." Sayori commented, "But we can't be so sure yet. For now, we can only wait until-." Before Sayori could finish, the lights flickered on and off around the hospital, "What's going on?"

"Girls," Tiffany walked over to the door while taking out her standard-issue handgun, "stay back for a sec." Tiffany peaked out and looked around to see nurses and doctors running around trying to figure out why the power was on the fritz, "Hm..."

"What is it Tiff?" Sayori asked.

"Not sure. The whole building is on the fritz."

Natsuki peaked outside and noticed multiple armored vehicles stopping in front of the hospital. Natsuki tried to say something, but she couldn't find her words.

"Either say something or don't Natsuki." Tiffany interrupted, "Kinda trying to find out what's going on."

"A-Ah..." Natsuki gulped and shouted, "Armed soldiers are moving through the building!" She pointed outside saying, "They look like the soldiers that were at the lake when Tridon had his confrontation with Robert."

"Damn it." Tiffany scratched the back of her head and wiped her forehead of sweat, "They're gunning for Tridon." Tiffany rolled her jacket sleeves up and spoke into her watch, "Team, set up a perimeter 50 yards from the hospital. Make sure every nook and cranny is blocked. Nobody gets in or out."

"Tiff," Monika started, "what are we gonna do?"

"We're getting Tridon." Tiffany walked over to Chelsea and said, "If you're serious about making up for your past actions, then get up and helps us get Tridon." Tiffany offered her hand to Chelsea and saying, "It's your choice."

Chelsea exhaled deeply and took her hand, "I'll do it."

The group ran out the room to see security officers on the floor heading up. Tiffany looked around and ushered the girls to follow her.

"This way." Tiffany went into the stairwell where she heard more commotion in the stairwell, "Keep your head straight and be on your guard." Tiffany aimed her gun up the stairwell and sighed, "We gotta move fast because I think that doctor will try and move him too."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tridon's eyes fluttered open to the panic. His eyes were blurry and his mind wasn't there. He could make out some words among the muffled voices. He slowly stood up from his bed and stumbled into the nearby wall.

Tridon groaned and felt around his abdomen. The gauze covering his bullet wound was extremely wet and worn out. He swore under his breath and stumbled forward. Once he gained his balance, he trudged out of the room.

"I see you're up Mr. Pierce." A voice to his left commented.

Tridon turned towards the voice and saw the same doctor that spoke to the girls earlier smiling at him. Tridon scoffed and continued trudging forward.

"Mr. Pierce, if you come with me, I can help you out." The doctor walked over to Tridon and carefully face Tridon towards him, "Fix you up and-."

Tridon noticed the doctor with a syringe in his hand inching towards him and Tridon's memory flashed of him being put in the hospital gurney and stuck fiercely with the same syringe.

Tridon quickly reacted and grabbed the arm of the doctor and threw him into the wall. Tridon held his abdomen and inhaled sharply. He stood back up and flipped the bird to the doctor.

"Nice try old man." Tridon turned back around and saw a group of Robert's soldiers holding police batons and 3 of them holding kali's. Tridon sighed in frustration and licked his lips, "Alright, let's see what you dress-up fakes can do." The soldiers with the kali's pressed a button on them and they emanated electricity, "Uh, you know I was kidding right?" They charged at him and Tridon backed up.

Tridon leaped over the control area of the MICU and dodged the flurry attacks from the soldiers. He used the tight area to hinder the soldiers' attacks.

He grabbed two of the kali-wielding soldiers and stuck them with their own kali sticks. Tridon was knocked the back by one of the lower soldier's batons, but quickly recovered and slid under one of the soliders.

Tridon kipped up and grabbed one of the soldiers, lifted them up, and slammed them onto the ground. He snatched their baton and backed up while gripping his abdomen. He smirked and jerked his head back to signal for them to charge at him and all at once, they attacked him.

Tridon ducked under the first soldier and booted the next one into the others. He turned back around and knocked the one he dodged onto one knee. Tridon clubbed him with the baton before he used their upper body to jump over them. He grabbed them in a reverse guillotine hold and he tightened the hold until he heard a snap.

He looked at the soldiers regaining their balance and quickly shuffled around, jumped up and grabbed one of the soldiers by their necks. He fell forward, sending the soldier flying forward into the glass of one of the MICU patient rooms.

Before Tridon could regather himself, he was grabbed from behind. Tridon tried to break free, but he was stunned by the electricity from the kali sticks. He eventually broke free and grabbed a discarded surgical tray from the ground.

He slid it as the soldier that grabbed him walked forward and they tripped over it. Tridon caught him and through him against the wall.

Tridon fell to a knee and grabbed his abdomen again. He looked back to see one more guard with kali sticks staring at him. Tridon inhaled sharply while popping his neck.

The two walked towards each other and as the final soldier prepared to swing, Tridon walked under their arm, grabbed their vest and used the whiplash from the sudden stop to send them hard to ground and knocking them out instantly.

Tridon looked at the scattered bodies of the soldiers and scoffed at them.

"For a bunch of 'elite' soldiers, this was just pathetic."

Even so, Tridon could feel the adrenaline wearing down and his energy dwindling. His wound was beginning to send excruciating pain through his body as he stumbled towards the MICU exit. However, just before he just barely made it, the doctor tried to stick him again, but he was able to dodge him again.

"Not so fast." Before Tridon could retaliate, Tridon felt 3 prongs latch onto his back and shock him greatly. Tridon fell to his knees before falling to the ground.

"Thank you." The doctor thanked to the assailant, "You've done well getting him here. I was worried those soldiers would give you trouble."

"He saved me the trouble by dealing with those guys there." This voice was all too familiar to Tridon. He looked from the corner of his eye and saw Erica dressed in all black and wearing a utility belt with a holstered gun, "So you're sure you can do it?"

"I can, but there is a chance that it will kill him."

"Tridon!" Tiffany could be heard in the distance getting closer.

"We need to go Erica. Can you carry him for me."

"I can." Erica picked up Tridon as he faded out of consciousness, "We have to make sure he doesn't die from his wound."

"We will once we're out of this mess."

And with that, they were gone just as Tiffany and the others arrived. They arrived shocked at the carnage.

"What room is he in?" Tiffany asked.

"There." Natsuki quickly pointed towards the room Tridon trudged out of to see that it was empty. The only things left were the bodies of the soldiers Tridon had either killed or knocked out.

"Where are you..." Sayori muttered to herself. She noticed the bloodstains along the floor and said, "He fought them off, but he's gone." Sayori followed the trail of blood and looked in the direction the doctor and Erica went in, "This way." Sayori ran ahead as everyone followed her.

They ran until they approached the helipad where Erica just now loaded Tridon into it.

"Erica?!" Sayori shouted.

She turned around and took out her gun and fired at them. She deliberately missed and shouted, "I won't miss next time!"

"Erica!" Natsuki shouted, "Let him go!"

"Why? And let you cheat on the others?"

"What does she mean Natsuki?" Monika asked.

"It's a long story. We were going to tell you, but then all this happened!"

"I'm just here to save him from a greater danger!" Erica shouted, "Himself!" Erica stepped onto the helicopter and banged on it, "Let's go!"

"Get back here!" Tiffany ran up firing at the helicopter, but missed Erica or shot close to Tridon, "Damn it..."

"Captain," a voice said through her wrist device, "we have visual on the helicopter. Permission to fire?"

"Permission denied." Tiffany quickly answered, "Stand down. Pierce is on there and we can't risk shooting it down. Just pull back and regroup. I need to think."

"Solid copy. Pulling back now Captain."

"Where are they taking him?" Natsuki quickly asked, "We have to find him."

"I'm not sure." Tiffany looked around and holstered her handgun, "I'll have to make some calls."

"But..."

"Wait a second." Monika stopped Natsuki asking, "What did Erica mean by cheating?"

"Earlier tonight when everyone left the lake, Tridon and I sat under the tree for a little bit. We talked and he eventually asked if I would like to go on a trial run."

"Trial run?"

"He wanted me to start an intimate relationship with him for a week or two. You know, as a trial run."

"But his relationship with me..." Lola muttered.

"He said it would be okay since your relationship is more platonic and that you two only act as one when you're at school. But he said that I could be more intimate with him outside of school. As a test run."

"I have a feeling he only said that to make up for what's happened today." Sayori responded, "Plus, it was Valentine's Day today. He said the same thing to me last year, but he said it as a joke. Which is quite surprising to hear that he was serious about this."

"You girls know I couldn't turn him down." Natsuki quickly defended Tridon's decision and her own, "I guarantee if you girls were in my position, then you would do the same."

Sayori, Monika, and Yuri all nodded in agreement.

"Still," Tiffany interrupted, "that relationship means nothing if he's not here and dies in the hands of that doctor and Erica." Tiffany shook her head and sighed, "I gotta make some calls. As for all of you, rest for the night and meet me at my house at 8 o'clock. We're gonna get this boy back."


	43. Rescue Mission

Tridon slowly opened eyes to a bright, blinding light. He tried to sit up, but noticed he was strapped to an operating table of some sort. He looked around and noticed nothing but darkness. The only light in the room he was in was the one shining on him.

Tridon wanted to yell, but he knew that it wouldn't have mattered. He just sighed and stared at the ceiling past the light. He started whistling in order to pass the time.

"I guess that means you're awake." Erica commented as she stepped from the darkness, "Anything hurting?"

"Oh don't worry. I'm having an absolute blast! Just laying here doing nothing. Best day of my life."

"Do you know what we're planning to do?"

"Well, crazy doctor plus crazy ex-girlfriend. Hm." Tridon thought for a second and said, "He's going to experiment on me and figure out how my power works while you help him in order to get me to yourself. It all makes sense to me now."

"What? No."

"Wait what?"

"He's going to extract your power from you so that you don't have to live as an Enigma."

"H-Huuuuuuh?!"

"He said he has found a way to extract a person's power. However, the only problem is that there's a 50/50 chance of the person being killed during the process."

"Has he tested this process?"

"He's tested the process on 100 people with powers. 53 people survived the process while the rest either didn't make it or suffered complications that killed them not long after the process."

"Any patterns?"

"I can't say."

"I expected that answer." Tridon stared at her and said, "You know they'll be coming here guns blazing in order to save me, right?"

"I know. They'll be able to find this place, but they won't get past the defenses." Erica snapped her fingers and the room illuminated itself more, "I have control over everything in here."

"As for the doctor?"

"Dr. Voltrov wants to wait until there aren't any barriers in his way. Until then, you're stuck here."

"I know it's a stupid question, but can I at least walk around?" Tridon looked at his abdomen and noticed his wound has been stitched up, "I probably won't even find a way out because this just looks like a steel bowl of nothingness that I'm assuming only you and that doctor can open."

"True, but are you going to be able to do anything?"

"Well, I was able to take out those 'elite' soldiers of Robert with ease. I'm assuming I can probably handle you better."

"More than likely, so I'll just leave you there."

"Well this sucks." Tridon shut his eyes and said, "Well, sleep is the only thing I can do in this situation."

* * *

Sayori was the first to arrive at Tiffany's house almost 2 hours before everyone else. She knocked on the door and waited for her to open.

Tiffany eventually opened up and asked, "Why so early?"

"I need to talk to you about Tridon."

"Okay?" Tiffany let Sayori in and she stared at her, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Tridon has been acting weird since that day we talked about the powers and stuff. He's been spending a lot of time alone at his home. Monika told me that he would often lock himself away in his room. I don't know what he's doing alone in that room and Monika doesn't know either. They live under the same roof. I'm just worried."

"Hm." Tiffany tapped her chin and turned to Sayori, "Sayori, I've been training Tridon to become an agent."

"You what?!"

"I know. It was a stupid move. I forced him to start training last year and I've been kicking myself ever since I had him start training."

"Tiff, he specifically said he didn't want to deal with any of that. He already has enough problems now. Why?"

"He wanted to be prepared for this exact thing. When people start gunning for him and when all of you are in danger."

"That idiot." Sayori mumbled to herself, "I guess that explains how he beat all those soldiers last night."

"He's trained enough in combat, but he's still raw in terms of power and endurance. So he spends time alone putting himself in scenarios where he can help build on that rawness."

"But Tiff, I..."

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't want him to, but I know I had to for future reasons.

"Well, it did help him dealing with those soldiers, but he was still hurt. I'm guessing it was easy for Erica to kidnap him because he was already hurt." Sayori then though to herself and asked, "But what if she's trained too?"

"There's the possibility that she is. But I doubt she can go toe to toe with Tridon if he was 100%. The only way they would've got him is if he as injured and already fatigued. I'm more surprised he took out a group of soldiers with more training with such ease while injured."

"Maybe those scenarios you've been making him train in private has helped him more than you think."

"Probably."

"Do you think he crafted some scenarios that would help in these types of scenarios?"

"Possibly..."

* * *

Once everyone had arrived at Tiffany's house, she led them to an armory underneath her house. The girls stood amazed at how massive her armory was. Tiffany grabbed some vests and SMGs and set them on a nearby table.

"We don't know what we're dealing with. So I want you girls to get used to carrying equipment like this." Tiffany signaled Jen to stand next to her and proceeded to say, "Jen here will demonstrate how to properly wear your vest, so follow her instructions to the letter. I'll be preparing my own equipment, so don't take you. We don't know how long we'll have before they... do whatever they're going to do to Tridon."

Tiffany walked off as Jen explained to them how to put their vest on. Tiffany took her phone out and called Tridon's mom.

"Ms. Pierce..."

"I know." She interrupted, "A mother knows everything."

"Then you know that we're heading off to get him, right?"

"Yes. Please save my son. He's all my daughter and I have."

"You know I'll fight tooth and nail to get him back. Just keep your daughter in check. I know she can be a little reckless whenever Tridon's in danger."

"I can do that for you dear. Just save my son."

"No problem."

"Captain," Jen interrupted just as Tiffany put her phone away, "they're geared up and ready."

"Alright. Take them in the humvee and get going. I'll meet all of you there."

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Tridon opened his eyes and looked around again. He noticed Erica nearby messing around on the massive control console near them. He scrunched his face and popped his neck. Erica turned around for a short second and shot him a small smile before moving back to what she was doing.

Tridon shimmied his wrists lightly and continued for a short moment. He smirked and looked back at Erica's back. Tridon laughed to himself and closed his eyes.

_"These metal bindings keeping me strapped are good, but the ones holding my upper body are weak. I can't break them with my core strength, but maybe I can wear them enough to do just that."_

Tridon started to shimmy his wrist again ever so slowly and carefully to where Erica couldn't hear him. Tridon looked at he roof and nodded to himself.

* * *

While Jen drove the group to the building Tridon was being held in, she explained to them their situation, "Tiff didn't get much sleep after the hospital raid in order to figure out where they were taking Tridon. They found out that they took him to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Like the far outskirts."

"Why is it always a warehouse..." Natsuki groaned, "Could've been a lot more creative there."

"The warehouse has a massive underground facility where Tridon is being held." Jen continued, "We'll be split up into groups of 2-3 while we search the facility."

"Who are the teams?"

"Natsuki, you're with me and Chelsea. We're heading through the east wing of the underground facility." Natsuki and Chelsea looked at one another before shifting glancing away, "You two will just have to coerce some way. As for Monika, you're partnered with Yuri. Sayori, you're with Lola."

Sayori glanced over to Lola who waved at her. Sayori thought back to the time Tiffany told her that Lola could be working with Robert. She gave her a device to use in case Lola would show her true colors, but for her to do so this late into the school year and to wait this long to infiltrate their group seems like a stretch. Even if Erica did that exact thing last year.

Sayori gripped the device that was in her vest and smiled at Lola. She knew that she had to watch her carefully. If she is working with Robert in some way, this would be the perfect chance to stab 'em in the back to capture Tridon.

* * *

Once they arrived, Jen readied her weapon and said, "Time to split up. Keep your radios on and sweep the facility. Find Tridon as fast as you can."

"Right!"

* * *

Tridon, after shimmying his hands repeatedly over the course of the last hour, he managed to loosen it enough to move his hands and out. All he had to do was work on his upper body. He looked at Erica and smirked.

"You know, there are some things I miss when we dated." Tridon started.

"And what's that?"

"How intimate we got." Tridon noticed Erica stop what she was doing, "For a 14 year old, it would be a dream come true to be extremely intimate with a hot girl. Especially since I was living on my own at that time."

"We didn't go too far though. Mostly because we were underage at the time."

"True," Tridon chuckled, "but all those times of just cuddling, sitting with one another, kissing," Tridon noticed her lean on the console and think about those times, "it's just one of those things that you can't forget and actually yearn for after 3 years."

"What's stopping you?"

"The choice."

"So you're still dead set on choosing one of them?"

"Yup." Tridon moved his body while Erica stood distracted at their conversation, "I enjoyed our time together, but you and I seem to attract a lot of trouble. What with my beef with Robert started when you left me for him."

"I didn't leave you!" Erica snapped, "He played with my feelings for you."

Tridon stopped and asked, "How?"

"He said he could take your power. Take it so that you wouldn't have to live in obscurity. He said that he would only do it if I were to marry him. When I found out that he just wanted your powers to get what he wanted, then I knew I had to turn my back on him. I just had to figure out how."

"But you called Eric. You sent him to our school and made that week a living hell for me." Tridon didn't care if Erica noticed his movements as he quickly burst out of the bindings and tackled her to the ground before she could react, "I nearly lost everything because of you!"

"And I'm trying to make things right by taking your power away!"

Tridon grit his teeth and stood up, "I want to get rid of my power more than anything." He walked off and said, "But I don't want you and that doctor to take it away for me."

"If that's the case..."

"You know you can't fight me. I would wipe the floor with you and I wouldn't be afraid to do so just because you're my ex." Tridon interrupted, "I wouldn't try it."

"I'm not, but the people Doctor Voltrov hired as soldiers will." Erica slid Tridon a small USB drive and said, "That has what you want to know about his experiments. If you really want to get rid of your power, then you'll want to look into that."

"What about you?"

Erica stood up and looked around, "I don't know. The most I can say now is to watch your back. Like right now."

Tridon turned around and ducked under a barrage of bullets. Tridon kicked over the operating table he was on and used it as cover. He looked where Erica was to see her gone. However, where she was last seen, a shotgun was left on the ground.

"I can't tell if this girl wants to help, or make my time worse by leaving me a shotgun." Tridon slid to the shotgun and checked the chamber quickly before firing at the people shooting at him. He took 6 precise shots and killed all of them, "Slugs. I guess it'll work."

Tridon stood up and looked at their bodies. He grabbed some of their weapons and ammo while looking at his shotgun, "Interesting shotgun." He looked the shell and said, "It fires more than one slug without needing to pump it. Interesting. 3 shell mag while the shells themselves hold 10 lethal slugs before needing to pump them out. I guess a 3 shell mag size is the drawback it needs to have."

Tridon stood up and looked at the doorway Voltrov's soldiers came out of, "So much for a secure room." Tridon hauled the shotgun over his shoulder and grabbed the rifle he took from the dead soldiers and ran off.

* * *

Sayori peaked out, but instantly ducked her head back in as both her and Lola were pinned by a massive barrage of gunfire.

"Tell me. Why did we get the difficult part of this facility?!"

"This was just by chance Sayori." Lola answered, "There was no way we could predict it would be this hot."

"Well, if that's the case, then that means Tridon is close by. So we should probably find a way to deal with these people."

"I've never tried this, but I think I can use my power to stop their bullets."

"How many of their bullets?"

"That's the thing. I don't know."

"Well, if your power is complete, then you should have no problem catching all their bullets."

"We could try."

"Alright. On my go. Ready?" She looked at Sayori who nodded at her, "Go!" Lola jumped out and held her hand out. The bullets stopped just before they hit her body and they piled up in the air, "Now Sayori! While they reload."

"I don't know how to fire a real gun, but ah what the hell!" Sayori jumped out and fired her gun haphazardly, managing to kill 2 of the 4 soldiers before the remaining 2 started firing again.

Lola quickly reacted and fired at the last two, but missed and only caused them to duck under for cover. Both Lola and Sayori both ran back to cover when they noticed a large group of soldiers arrive to attack them.

"Can your powers stop this many people?"

"I don't even wanna try..."

"Need some help girls?" A voice called out. The two of them peaked out and their eyes widened when they saw Tridon sprinting towards them.

"Tridon!" They both yell.

Tridon dashed forward and clotheslined 3 people in one succession.

"Whoa..." Sayori and Lola gasp in awe.

Tridon ducked under one of the soldier's guns and elbowed one of them. He used that moment and shot them in the chin while grabbing their limp body, using their gun and firing it at 3 more.

He ran forward, grabbed one, and slammed them to the ground. He mounted them and grabbed their handgun to fire at 3 more soldiers. He fired at the one he mounted and swept his leg behind him to trip 2 soldiers. He grabbed a knife off one of the soldiers he tripped and quickly sliced both of their necks.

"Where did he learn to fight so well?" Lola muttered in awe, "I know Tiff said she trained him, but fighting like this means he would need to train for years."

"Or just endless nights of self-training in a conjured scenario."

"Huh?"

Sayori smiled and said, "This boy continues to surprise me everyday."

Tridon stood while grabbing the head of a unconscious soldier and dropped them. He wiped his hands and exhaled sharply. He looked at the girls and waved at them.

* * *

Natsuki and Chelsea traveled through and empty hallway, but neither said anything to one another. The silence between them was deafening. Natsuki peaked around the corner and saw nobody.

"I guess it's pretty obvious nothing is worth guarding over here." Natsuki commented, "Which probably means Tridon isn't here."

"Oh gee. Ya' think?" Chelsea responded sarcastically.

"Look, I don't want that sarcastic bs from you. This is my friend we're talking about. You know. The same guy who saved you when he could've, and should've, left you for dead."

"You know, none of this would've never happened if you had just stayed a loner."

"And let you continue to bully me? Not gonna happen. Tridon was there to make sure I wasn't a loner. He was there to make sure I had someone to turn to and seek help from your torment. Something _you_ should've done as my best friend. Oh wait. Ex-best friend."

"I had no choice. You know how brutal high school can be with social groups. I was just caught up in mine and-."

"You left behind your best friend since elementary school!" Natsuki roared, "You left me behind just because you were on the volleyball team. A team that doesn't even hold traction for our school. You could've broke out and changed everything, but you chose to look after yourself. As a result, you let your best friend suffer. Suffer at your hands."

"Natsuki..."

"I thought my best friend could stick up for me. Before I knew it, I had already lost her to the high school hierarchy."

Chelsea fell silent to Natsuki's ranting. She knew saying 'Sorry' wouldn't do a thing. All she could do was be the ear Natsuki had needed for so long. Something she should've done a long time ago.

"It's why I looked to Tridon. He might be an idiot, but he's the best idiot someone could ask for. It's why I want to save him."

"I know." Chelsea walked up to Natsuki and said, "Let's go save this idiot boyfriend of yours," Chelsea held out her fist and added, "best friend."

"Yeah." The two fist bumped and smiled at one another after seemingly letting bygones be bygones.

* * *

Monika had jammed the end of her SMG into the back of a soldier's head, knocking them out. She whistled to Yuri who joined her.

"The guards are light around here." Yuri commented, "Whatever they're guarding-."

"Isn't Tridon." Monika finished, "Still. We could find something useful for ourselves."

"But Monika. Our main priority is saving Tridon. We can't derail from our current objective."

"I know, but what if we find something that could maybe help with Tridon and his power. You know. So that he doesn't use so much energy after each use."

"I mean..."

"Come on." Monika ordered, "let's keep looking. I think I heard those guards say that an armory was nearby."

"Monika!" Yuri called out, "We barely know how to use guns as is. What makes you think we can use other guns or anything else of that matter."

* * *

Sayori hugged Tridon who hugged her back, "I was so worried Tridon."

"Nah you didn't have to be. I was going to get out either way."

"You really fight well." Lola commented while looking at the bodies surrounding them, "Like really well."

"Tridon," Sayori interrupted, "Tiff kinda told that she's been training you to be an agent."

"I expected her to spill the beans. I mean, what else would explain my combat expertise. No normal person could take out a platoon of highly training soldiers alone and outgunned."

"But to do this with only months of training is impossible." Lola commented, "No matter how athletically gifted you are."

"Yeah there's more to my training than you think, but right now, we have to focus on getting out of here. Where are the others?"

"They're sweeping the facility looking for you."

"Well, radio them in or something. It won't be long before the alarm goes off."

"I'll do it." Lola said as she walked off.

"Do you even have a way out? Once those alarms go off, Doctor Voltrov is gonna lock this place down."

"Doctor what?"

"Doctor Voltrov. He's the guy that..." Tridon stopped himself and said, "Look, I'll explain when we're out of here. Erica gave me something that could lead towards me finally having a normal life."

"Where is Erica?"

"No clue and I'd rather not find out."

"Alright." Lola came back saying, "we have our extraction. Jen is meeting us in the heart of the facility with everyone else."

"The heart?" Tridon thought to himself, "I read through the facility's data logs and found out that the heart of this facility is like a huge landing pad for helicopters and such. Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Monika and Yuri eventually arrived at the armory, but it was locked tight. Monika looked around and groaned.

"Well, unless we had some grenades, we could blow this door open."

"And probably set off whatever is inside." Yuri added, "Monika, we need to focus on getting Tridon before they find out we're here."

"This facility is massive. Who knows how long it'll be before they figure out we're here."

"You know," Natsuki started, "I heard some commotion nearby. You'd think that would set off an alarm."

"Not to mention that we drove up in a humvee. There's no way we just waltzed right in without tripping an alarm."

"Weird."

* * *

Meanwhile nearby, Robert stood in a a transport helicopter, accompanied by several more helicopters, smirked as they flew the air.

"That girl finally made herself useful." He muttered, "Step on it! We have to get that boy. I'll let Epsilon handle anyone that gets in our way."

Tridon looked around and said, "Alarm going off in 3,2,1." Tridon pointed in front of them just as the alarms blasted and groups of soldiers appeared, "You girls stay back. I'll handle this." Tridon cracked his knuckles and walked forward while Sayori and Lola ducked for cover.

"Man," Sayori started, "to think that this all started with a bunch of high school students chilling in a literature club. Now we're doing this."

"Things tend to change don't they?"

"Yeah, but to this degree?" Sayori laughed and put her gun down, "Killing people. Saving people. We've mostly been saving Tridon, but I never expected this."

"Maybe you should have since you're friends with someone with a power. An enigma. You yourself are an enigma Sayori. Maybe at some point you did expect this?"

"Maybe. Maybe it was when I met Tiff. Maybe it was when Tridon began to become reclusive towards the end of last semester. Maybe it was when I first met Tridon."

"Do you think that maybe you've just always knew something like this would happen?"

"That's a probability, but a very outlandish probability."

"Ah man." The girls peaked out to see Tridon being overwhelmed by the sheer number of soldiers charging at him, "I know I'm asking for a lot, but I could really use some help!" Tridon threw a soldier, who lunged at him, over his head, but he was forced to dodge some bullets, causing him to be jumped by soldiers, "Help!"

"Already here!" Monika shouted as she drove a small dune buggy with Yuri in the gunner seat. Monika spun out, taking out groups of soldiers in the process before stopping abruptly. Yuri grabbed the gunner railing and exhaled deeply, "Sorry about that Yuri. You okay?"

"Just a little bit of whiplash." She answered while stumbling out of the buggy.

"Way to make an entrance girls." Tridon commented as he a guy behind him, "But maybe it's best if you step out of that buggy."

"Tridon!" Natsuki shouted as both her and Chelsea joined back up with them, "You're safe!"

"Well, I am safe. Don't know much about these guys." Tridon looked at the soldiers on the ground either dead or unconscious, "So where's our extract? In fact, Sayori and Lola said Jen was with you girls. Where's she?"

"If you're referring to Agent Jenna Stone," Doctor Voltrov interrupted, "then she is in good hands."

"That..." Tridon stopped himself and said, "Screw the T-Rating! Where are you asshole!"

"Oh me? I'm far from there. Erica, although she did give you delicate information and let you go free, she was able to capture Agent Stone. To make up for her mistake, I am willing to trade for that usb drive she gave you for Agent Jennifer."

"What is he talking about?" Sayori asked while they joined up with the group.

Tridon dug into his pocket and took out the usb drive Erica slid to him earlier. He squeezed it in his hands and said, "If you're really up for this trade, then we'll do it."

"Wonderful! Once I have that usb drive back, I can go through with your operation."

"Operation?" Natsuki questioned, "What is he talking about?"

"Name a time and place and I'll go there." Tridon didn't bother answering her as he said, "Alone. I'll be alone and I expect you to be alone."

"Will do Mr. Pierce."

"Tridon," Monika started, "what are you doing?"

"This usb drive holds the way to get this power out of me. Out of Sayori. Out of Lola. We can finally live as normal people, but now this holds the safety of Jen. However, I don't trust that doctor to get this power out of us. So I have a plan."

"What is-." Sayori started, but was immediately interrupted when the roof of where they were exploded to reveal Robert and his army, "It's Robert!"

"Get Tiff on your radios and get our evac!" Tridon ordered, "Tridon ran off and shouted, "I'll cover you girls! Just focus on not getting shot!"

"So he leaves us alone." Chelsea mumbled.

"I heard that!" Tridon shouted back.

"It's so great to see all of you again." Robert called out, "I'm sure you would love to just have me take you all to safety, but you see, my target is Tridon."

"Not a chance Mr. Arias." Doctor Voltrov interrupted, "I have important business with Mr. Pierce."

"Okay who is this weird Albanian-accented guy?" Robert questioned, "Man. I missed a lot..."

"I won't let you take Mr. Pierce so easily."

"Oh bring it old man."

* * *

While the girls ran for cover, Robert's soldiers dropped and started fighting with Voltrov's men. The girls peaked out to see them focused on each other rather than them.

"Girls," Tridon radioed in, "Tiff won't know exactly where we are. She prepared for this. So one of you should have a flare in your vest."

"I have it." Sayori answered.

"When you have an opening, fire it through that hole. I'll try and clear the area from where I am."

"Where are you exactly?" Yuri asked.

"Turn around."

The group slowly turned around to see Tridon very far away waving at them. He aimed his shotgun towards the group of soldiers fighting one another and pointed ahead.

"Keep your heads forward. I don't have much ammo, so I can only clear so much. When I say go, you go."

"But..."

"Trust me Sayori. Have I ever lied to you?"

"Do you really want me to answer."

"I prefer you not to."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"All of you go."

"What?"

"When I say go, all of you go with Sayori." Tridon cocked his shotgun and said, "I'll be pinpoint accurate with this gun."

"You better be."

Tiffany watched from a nearby billboard with her team and said, "Prepare to move when they give the signal." She loaded her rifle and added, "We have to be quick. Nobody gets left behind."

"Roger that." Her men responded.

Tridon fired endlessly, but failed to make an opening. He stopped and looked around. He stood up and sighed.

"Can't keep wasting ammo. I only 2 shells left. Which means I got 20 shots left. There's obviously more than 20 of them, so why not try and disperse them." Tridon looked at the girls and asked, "You girls don't happen to have any grenades do you?"

"Do you really think Tiff would give a bunch of untrained high schoolers with explosives."

"Good point." Tridon looked at the buggy and said, "Well, keep your head down, cover your ears, and be ready to move on my go." Tridon aimed at the fuel tank of the buggy and fired. The slug penetrated the fuel tank, igniting it and exploding, "Go! Fire the flare and I'll meet up with you girls."

"Let's go!" Sayori ordered as she ran off to the destroyed buggy while both Robert's and Voltrov's men tried to regain their bearings.

"Gah..." Robert growled, "I think it's time I send out my new weapon." Robert looked over to the same hooded figure that was seen when Tridon was shot stood next to him, "Go Epsilon."

"Yes sir." It responded in a deep voice, "I will handle the problem." The person, Epsilon, jumped down from the helicopter and landed in front of the girls.

"Whoa." Sayori stumbled back and said, "Hooded dude."

Monika caught her and stared at them, "What in the world?"

Epsilon took out two handguns and pointed it at the girls, "Targets must be destroyed."

"What?!" The girls shout in unison.

Before Epsilon could fire, Tridon shoulder charged him, making him stumble, but quickly regain his footing.

"Don't mess with my friends. I know you want me Mr. Assassin's Creed. So let's do it." Tridon threw a punch, but Epsilon ducked under it and grabbed his arm.

Epsilon tried to hit back, but Tridon continued back up before jerking his arm back and flipping away. Tridon slid under Epsilon and tried to roundhouse kick him, but Epsilon ducked under. However, Tridon sole kicked Epsilon back while the two glared at one another.

"Whatever you girls are gonna do," Tridon started, "do it now!" Tridon took out his shotgun and fired multiple shots at Epsilon who ducked, slid, and flipped over all his slugs. Tridon tried to load his shotgun back up, but Epsilon grabbed it and jammed it in Tridon's sternum.

"Gah..." Tridon groaned, "My wound..." Blood slowly started to trickle from Tridon's wound, "Damn it..."

Sayori stood up and ran to the hole. She loaded the flare up and fired it into the air. It flew high into the air and high enough for Tiffany to see it.

"Let's move." Tiffany ordered, "Quickly." Tiffany stared at Robert's helicopters and sighed, "We gotta move fast. In and out. Drop those SPIE cables when you get to that hole!" Tiffany and her crew loaded into multiple Little Birds and accompanied by Apache helicopters, "We have the government paid off. We can go as we like to do this as quickly and efficiently."

"Yes Captain!" Her soldiers respond.

"What now?" Monika asked while watching Tridon fight Epsilon, "Should we help him?"

"I think we would just get in his way." Chelsea commented, "We should probably wait for Tiff to get here."

"Let's get back into cover and just let Tridon handle it." Yuri added, "If we try to help, we would just get in his way."

Everyone else except Sayori ran back to cover as she kept watching Tridon losing his ground against Epsilon. Sayori gripped her SMG and wanted to walk forward, but remembered what Tiffany told her earlier that day.

_"He's trained enough in combat, but he's still raw in terms of power. So he spends time alone putting himself in scenarios where he can build on that rawness."_

"I trust you best friend." Sayori smiled, "Kick his ass!" Sayori cheered before running off to her friends.

"Will do best bud!" Tridon attacked Epsilon with a flurry of attacks, but Epsilon dodged each strike with fluidity and skill. Tridon backed up and shook his head, "You're pretty good."

"I've trained enough to complete the orders given to me. Enough to stop any tricks you have up your sleeves."

"Really?" Tridon scoffed and asked, "I thought Robert had nothing but incompetent soldiers, but I see you'll actually be fun to fight. However," Tridon paused just as Robert's helicopters were being blown out of the air, "you probably don't account for everything."

"On the contrary Pierce!" Robert shouted, "Lola," Robert started, "you know what to do."

Lola, although hesitantly, stood up and tossed a handful of flashbangs into the air. Everyone covered there eyes, but the explosions from them deafened them for a short moment.

"I'll finish this later." Epsilon mumbled.

"Oh no you won't!" Tridon lunged at Epsilon, but Epsilon waved his arm and he disappeared, "What?" Tridon looked around before smirking, "So you're an enigma too." Tridon turned around to see Lola gone from their group, "And you show your true colors, but how true are they."

Tiffany and her soldiers fired at both sides from their little bird along with the little bird firing as well. Tiffany looked down and gave the thumbs up at Tridon.

"Alright." Tridon shouted to his friends just as a SPIE rig dropped in front of them, "Let's move!" Tridon put the rig on and turned to the remaining girls who did the same, "You might feel some very bad whiplash, so prepare yourselves!" Tridon looked up and whirled his arms in the air.

A few seconds pass and they are pulled into the air and out of the facility. Tridon looked at Robert's main helicopter where Lola looked at him. Tridon scrunched his face and shook his head.

"Don't worry about her or Epsilon." Tridon muttered to himself, "Focus on getting Jen away from Doctor Voltrov."

However, deep down inside him, Tridon wanted to get Lola away from Robert. But now that Robert has a new powerful enigma named Epsilon at his side, he knows that Doctor Voltrov and Jen in his grasp would be the least of his problems now.

"What did I get my friends into...?"


	44. The Trade

Tridon was being tended to by a nurse while Tiffany looked through the files on the usb drive Erica gave Tridon.

"Well, there's a lot of information on this thing, but too much to look through with the time we have with it." Tiffany closed her laptop and walked over to Tridon, "How's he looking?"

"Despite him saying that he's fine," the nurse responded, "I think he shouldn't fight mass amounts of soldiers at full throttle for a while."

"Thank you nurse. I'll handle it from here." The nurse nodded leaving the two alone, "That training has been helping hasn't it?"

"More than ever, but now Robert actually has someone competent fighting for him. Someone better than me."

Tiffany stared at him and explained, "Jason Whitherspoon or as you know him by his codename: Epsilon."

"Jason Whitherspoon? Never heard of the guy."

"He's an ex-marine. Fell into a life of depression and crime after some tours around the Middle East. Robert picked him up and he became very useful in several body enhancement experiments."

"Is that the reason he's so skilled in combat?"

"Pretty much. He also wasn't born as an enigma."

"What?"

"Part of the experiments Robert has done.. He was given his power by Robert. That's when he became is right-hand man. Epsilon's ability is invisibility."

"So he can turn invisible whenever he wants."

"Yes, but it's incomplete."

"How so?"

"He can only turn invisible for 10 seconds and it's cooldown is 2.5 seconds. However, he can use it as he please without using energy."

"I see." Tridon looked at Tiffany and asked, "You know a lot about Epsilon. I had never heard of this guy before, but you seem to quite a bit about Epsilon."

Tiffany faced away from Tridon with her arms crossed, "That's because I know Epsilon from training. Before I had joined he FBI."

"You trained with him or?"

"The two of us worked well together, but he was always reclusive. He kept to himself a lot and didn't click with a lot of people in basic training. I was the only one who could hold a decent conversation with him."

"So he was an outsider?"

"An outsider who was a monster in the field. However, they saw more in me and I was hired in as a special operator for the FBI."

"But if that was before he was deployed, how do you know so much."

"My team and I raided a facility Robert owned. This facility had all the information on Robert's experiments on people. Including his only success: Epsilon."

"Does he plan to duplicate his findings on Epsilon to others."

"He does. He's ironically calling it Project Epsilon. That's why he wants you. You're the final piece of his project." Tridon hopped off the operating table he was on and scratched his head while Tiffany continued, "If you're captured by him, who knows what kind of monsters he'll be able to create with you and Epsilon at his side."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

"Making sure it doesn't happen is hard. Epsilon was created to be a fighting machine. You have training, but that's nothing compared to what Epsilon is capable of."

"I think I got a taste if what he's capable of. All I gotta do is train harder. I'll eventually have to fight him again. I just have to be prepared to fight him then."

"Tridon, Episilon is a killing machine. The fact that you were able to go toe-to-toe with him for a short time is already bad enough. I can't see you risking yourself more to fight Epsilon."

"Don't be worried for me." Tridon lightly nudged Tiffany's back, "Despite every setback we've had, we've always had a way around it. Almost like someone writes it that way." Tridon smirked making Tiffany chuckle, "Ah there you go."

"Sorry. It's just what I've read and seen about Epsilon. He's not like anything I've ever seen."

"Yeah, but I always have tricks up my sleeve to handle any setbacks."

"Like with this trade?"

"Yup." Tridon crossed his arms and said, "It might have to do with a little bit of misdirection, but I think we can pull it off."

"Okay. Explain."

"First, get the girls gathered together. This will be an interesting plan."

* * *

Moments later, Tridon stood in front of the girls while holding the usb, "This is what Doctor Voltrov wants. It holds his research on extracting an enigma's power from them. However, this is also what Robert would want. He just doesn't know it yet."

"What are you getting at?" Sayori asked.

"We're going to see if we can knock out two birds with one stone." Tridon paced around while tossing the usb into the air over and over again, "Both people want the same thing. However, only one of them can get it. If we can get both of them to fight for it during the trade, we can have them take each other out while we save Jen and escape while they're dealing with each other."

"How do we do that exactly?" Chelsea asked next. This caused everyone to look at her, "Why's everyone looking at me." Moments later, Chelsea sat in front of Tiffany's laptop while holding the usb, "I didn't agree to this."

"You're the only one that could convince Robert to be at the trade spot for this usb." Tridon explained, "He can't turn down two things that'll help his experiments."

"What do we do then?" Natsuki questioned.

"Both of them will expect you girls to be hiding somewhere to sneak attack or something. So we're gonna use that paranoia to our advantage."

* * *

An hour later, Tridon, accompanied by Tiffany hovered over the lake where Doctor Voltrov waited with Erica, Jen, and a handful of soldiers near him. All while Tridon explained the plan.

_"Chelsea, you'll be video calling Robert about the usb while I inform Voltrov about our place to meet. You give Robert that same information. As for Tiff, you'll be with me because it's quite obvious he's not going to be alone. For the rest of you... just do what you usually do."_

"Are you sure this plan will work?" Tiffany asked while looking Doctor Voltrov.

"There's a high probability that this goes down the drain, but there's also the very slight possibility that this goes as planned."

"So it'll fail."

"Probably."

Once their helicopter landed, Robert's helicopter arrived a few seconds later. He stepped out with Epsilon and Lola.

"Hey wait a second!" Robert shouted, "What's this old fart doing here."

"Real mature." Doctor Voltrov groaned, "So much for a grown man running a big-shot company."

"Shut it old man. What are you doing here? I had a deal with them."

"So did I."

"Wait," Robert turned to Tridon who the usb in his hands, "you're setting us up."

"Am I?"

Robert growled and looked around, "I don't know how, but you have those stupid girls hiding around here." Robert turned to his soldiers to say, "Find them."

"Sir," one of Voltrov's soldier started, "should we look for them?"

"Go on. Make sure we're not interrupted."

"Yes sir."

"You remain here Erica."

"Yes sir."

"Looks like we all have our partners." Tridon called out, "Seems like this is all even."

"I'm not your partner idiot." Tiffany growled.

"Just roll with it." Tridon whispered.

"But I assure you that Epsilon will be able to take all of you out all by himself." Robert boasted, "So you should just hand over so nobody here dies a horrible death to Epsilon."

"I assume we all have someone with us that can fight." Voltrov commented, "Tridon, Erica, and Epsilon."

"I don't know." Tridon started, "I'm pretty sure I can handle the both of them perfectly fine."

"Erica," Voltrov started quietly, "you're still not ready to go toe-to-toe with these individuals."

"I know."

"Still. You can still take them on if they were fatigued." Voltrov looked at the two and said, "Wait to make a move."

"Yes sir."

"You might as well give up the facade Tridon." Robert called out, "I know you have those girls somewhere hiding to sneak attack us. I'm not stupid. I doubt it'll take long for my soldiers to find 'em."

A gunshot was heard in the distance followed by Monika shouting, "Sayori!"

"It wasn't me!" She shouted back.

"Or they'll be stupid enough to reveal their position." Robert sighed and pressed his earpiece, "Head to their position and take care of them."

"Roger that."

Robert's soldiers moved over to a nearby set of shrubs and bushes where the gunshot was heard, "Bunch of idiots." One of the soldiers comment, "This'll be too easy." They shot into the bushes until their magazines were empty. They moved aside the shrubs to notice that the only thing they shot were a pair of Sayori and Monika plushies that were now riddled with bullets and destroyed, "What the hell?"

"By the way," Sayori said in a lower quality tone. One of the plushies fell over revealing a radio laying on top of a stack of C4's, "gotcha'."

The soldiers stumbled back, but were blown up. This was followed by multiple other explosions around the area. Robert looked around in panic while Voltrov still stood stone-still with Erica at his side.

"You bastard." Robert growled, "Epsilon, get that boy and that usb."

"Go." Tridon told Tiffany as he shot at the rope straining Jen, "Your two trainees will handle this."

"But..."

"Just go." Tridon pushed Tiffany onto the helicopter and closed the door to it. He whirled his arm in the air to signal the driver to head off, "Keep that usb safe!"

"Tridon!" Tiffany shouted from the helicopter, "You idiot!"

Tridon turned around to be met with a knee that he narrowly blocked. Tridon blocked other hits before making space between himself and his assailant, Epsilon. Tridon popped his neck and got into a fighting stance.

"Alright. Bring it."

This was all while Jen broke out of her bindings and attacking Erica who pushed Voltrov out of danger. Erica quickly overpowered Jen and sent her flying towards Tridon, who looked at her for a split second. This was long enough for Epsilon to get a good combo on him and send him flying and landing next to Jen.

"Get out of here." Both Erica and Epsilon say in unison. Both Robert and Voltrov nod and leave their two right-hand soldiers to fight for them. Lola watched for a moment before joining Robert on the helicopter.

Tridon and Jen looked at the two and stood up while grasping their abdomens. They stood up with their backs against each other. They looked at one another before nodding and charging at their opponents.

Jen attacked Erica with a flurry of kicks that Erica either blocked or dodged. Erica eventually grabbed one of Jen's leg as she kicked and lifted her up before punching her to the ground. Erica tried to punch again, but Jen grabbed her and flipped her over.

Jen quickly moved to mount her and tried to punch her face, but Erica dodged each hit. Jen eventually stopped and flipped off of Erica who stood up and glared at Jen. Jen gulped sharply as she prepared to fight Erica more.

Tridon and Epsilon circled one another until Tridon attacked Epsilon with sweeping kicks and wide punches. Epsilon blocked and parried one of Tridon's punches and attacked swiftly. Tridon winced and stepped back. He scrunched his face and tried to attack Epsilon again, but Epsilon caught Tridon arms underneath his own. He the lifted Tridon over his head and slammed him.

He then picked Tridon up with one hand and repeatedly slammed him into the ground over and over again. Tridon managed to wrap his legs around Epsilons neck, but he couldn't tighten his grip.

Epsilon counter by grabbing Tridon's legs and throwing him to the ground. Tridon surprisingly bounced off the ground in which Epsilon followed it up by driving his heel into Tridon's sternum.

Tridon spat out some blood while Epsilon continued twisting and digging his heel into Tridon's sternum. Jen tried to help him by lunging at Epsilon, but he caught her mid-air by her neck. Epsilon squeezed her neck while she gasped her air.

However, he dropped her when he was shot in his arm. He looked at who shot him and it was Erica. Epsilon looked at his arm and the bullet wound completely disappeared in seconds. Erica looked at him with wide eyes and stepped back.

Tridon watched and mumbled, "What the hell?"

"Tridon," Jen whispered as she crawled over to him, "are you okay?"

"I think I might've broken a rib or two, but I think I'll manage."

"Should we help her."

"Jen," Tridon stood up with Jen's help and said, "did you see that?"

"He can heal himself."

"Tiff didn't tell me everything about Epsilon."

"Tridon!" Sayori shouted from above them in a helicopter, "Cover your ass!"

Tridon tackled Jen down and covered her with his body and tried to cover his own ears. From the helicopter, multiple flashbangs fell in between Erica and Epsilon. They went off blinding and deafening both Epsilon and Erica.

An SPIE rope fell in front of Tridon and Jen. The both of them quickly latched on and were taken off. They were able to get away despite the beating they took from both Epsilon and Erica.

When they were back at Tiffany's hideout, Tridon and Jen were being tended to while Tiffany stood with her arms crossed.

"You didn't tell me everything Tiff." Tridon started, "You didn't tell me Epsilon could heal himself."

"I didn't think they got that far in their experiments."

"So you did know?"

"I knew they experimenting with it. I just didn't think they actually went through with injecting him with this healing factor."

"Well just great. Ah..." Tridon winced when the nurse popped his shoulder, "We have Epsilon. Some sort of super soldier who has a healing factor. Then we have Erica who can fight just as well as me and Jen. The hell do we do now?"

"I was able to to gather some information while I was in their possession." Jen answered, "They have things planned."

"Well," Tiffany started, "I think it's time Tridon focuses on school again. However, Robert and Voltrov will be looking for you. So for now, you'll be taking private classes here. You'll also remain in my hideout until further notice."

"What about the girls?"

"We'll be here too." Natsuki answered as the group joined them in the room they were in, "Since we're kinda in the crossfire of all this, Tiff thought it'd be better if we're all in this hideout until this blows over."

"Which means we're still together." Yuri added, "Just stuck in this hideout."

Tridon looked at Chelsea and asked, "Are you fine with that?"

"Robert definitely has it out for me. More so now that I tricked him with that video call to convince him to go to the trade spot. So it's for the best."

"So you two made up?" Tridon asked while pointing at Natsuki and Chelsea.

"We have some catching up to do," Natsuki responded, "so what better way than being in this hideout."

"And Sayori," Tridon looked at Sayori to ask, "how do you feel about this?"

Sayori walked over to Tridon and grasped his hand, "Me, just like everyone else here, is ready to follow wherever you go. No matter what. Besides, you and I are inseparable. Where you go. I go. We're best friends for a reason."

"Sweet."

"What about there condition nurse?" Tiffany asked.

"Tridon will need to lay down and rest for some time. Jen will need to regain some strength and will need to go through some rehabilitation."

"Alright." Tiffany shifted her glances at everyone and said, "Your lives will change now being here. This means all of you need to be prepared. With how dangerous Epsilon and Erica are, we'll need to be able to handle them in order to end all of this. I'll decipher what's in this usb so that we can finally free Tridon and Sayori from their enigma clutches."

"I'll help with their training." Tridon offered, "Once I'm better that is."

"You still need work yourself." Tiffany added, "So you and I will still need to do some training. Epsilon will be your biggest challenge yet. You need to be prepared."

"I will be. I want to end this once and for all."


	45. Life In The Hideout (Filler)

Tridon walked around the kitchen in the hideout and scavenged the fridge. He clicked his tongue every now and then before taking out a protein shake. He shook it for a second while walking towards one of the rooms.

Inside was Tiffany looking through the usb they had managed to keep. She was so focused and distracted by the usb that she didn't even notice Tridon walking up behind her.

He knelt next to her and looked at her face glued to her laptop. He sighed and stood up. He walked out of the room so that he wouldn't distract her and continued walking around.

* * *

He walked into the firing range of the hideout and noticed Jen with Monika and Yuri. She was helping them handle gun.

"Is it really 3 o'clock already?" Tridon looked at his watch and nodded, "I guess it is."

"Yuri," Jen started with frustration, "quit limp wristing when you're firing a handgun. You're gonna do nothing but jam the handgun. That's only if it doesn't fly out of your hand."

"I'm sorry Jen. It just feels different."

"It shouldn't feel anymore different than a scenario."

"It just does."

"Working hard girls?" Tridon asked from the doorway.

"Tridon!" Monika called out, "I've gotten better. Jen said I'll be able to handle a rifle soon."

"That's good." Tridon walked over to Monika and asked, "Let's see you shoot that target," Tridon pressed the button next to her and said, "from 30 meters."

"30?" Monika shakingly asked, "Jen hasn't had us shoot past 10 meters with handguns."

"If you want to be on our level, then you'll have to learn how to hit targets that are near or farther than a hundred feet."

"B-But..."

"Come on." Tridon squeezed Monika's shoulder and said, "I'm right here."

"Alright." Monika aimed the handgun down the range and exhaled. She fired her whole clip with each round fired in between 3 second intervals. Tridon watched her technique and where each bullet went, "Okay. The whole clip."

"Okay." Tridon pressed the button and Monika watched as the target came back. Her eyes brightened when she saw that she hit the target, "Impressive, but you only hit 30 percent of your shots. That means 3 hit the target, but only 1 hit the actually target."

"But you gotta admit, that's impressive."

"It is, but you still need to work on your technique." Tridon looked at Jen and gave her a thumbs up, "I'm sure you saw what she needed help on."

"Yup. I'll handle it from here."

"Have any of you seen our reconciling friends?"

"I think they're in the gym." Monika answered, "Natsuki has been trying to get stronger and more athletic with Chelsea's help."

"I'll go check on them then." Tridon waved the girls off and continued to the gym.

* * *

"Natsuki," Chelsea started, "you'll get keep straining yourself if you don't get the right technique. I keep telling ya' that technique is everything."

"I keep asking you to show me, but I still can't get it."

Tridon knocked on the door and waved to them, "Hey there you two." Tridon walked over to them and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Sayori still can't get a full workout in without destroying herself. Like right now, she just threw out her knee doing a simple squat."

"Well," Tridon walked over to Natsuki and held his hands out, "let me see your knee."

"B-But..."

"Quit being a baby and let me see." Tridon grabbed her leg and started squeezing around it, "Tell me where it hurts the most."

"Alright..." Natsuki watched Tridon squeeze until she winced right at the tip of her knee, "There..."

"Alright." Tridon rubbed her knee and said, "When you start working out for the first time, squats usually are the hardest to get good technique in without throwing out your knee. Trust me. I know from experience. It's all about keeping your body straight as you go down. Don't put strain on your knees. Rather, deviate the weight of your body all through your lower body as you go down."

"That's easier said than done."

"Trust me. When you do it more and more, it'll eventually become a second nature to you." Tridon lightly slapped her leg and said, "Better?"

"Much better."

"Good."

Chelsea pulled Tridon aside and asked, "Was all that really necessary?"

"What?"

"You know. Rubbing her knee and all that?"

"Natsuki really needs support when she does something out of her comfort zone. That means getting on her level, making her feel comfortable, and just talking to her calmly rather than berate her. Remember, she's a lot more vulnerable than she presents herself. If you wanna rekindle your friendship, then do that." Tridon nodded at Chelsea and turned around, "I just wanted to check on you guys. So keep working hard. I'm gonna go look for my best friend. Any of you seen her?"

"I haven't." Natsuki answered.

"I think I saw her in your room actually." Chelsea responded, "I don't know why though."

"Okay. I'll see you girls later."

* * *

Tridon left the room and stared at his protein shake. He looked down the hall towards the quarters and sighed. He tossed the bottle into the bathroom's trash can as he walks by it. He looked at each room that had 2 people sleeping in it at a time.

Chelsea and Natsuki...

Monika and Yuri...

Sayori and Jen...

Finally, Tridon and Tiffany. Tridon looked into his room and saw Sayori looking around at the desk on his side of the room. He walked inside and whistled, making her turn around.

"Oh. Hey bud."

"What are you doing in here?"

"Just wanted to talk to when you got back."

Tridon walked over to his bed and laid down on it, "Well, I'm here. What do you wanna talk about?"

"It's about our current situation. It's been almost 2 weeks since we've started living in this hideout and I've gotten used to it."

"But you don't like it."

"Yeah."

"Well, it's why I'm kinda regretting dragging you and the others into it, but the others seem to be enjoying themselves."

"They are."

"Why can't we enjoy ourselves?"

"H-Huh?"

Tridon stood up and blew air into Sayori's ear, making her jump and push him. Sayori puffed her cheeks out and tackled Tridon on his bed. The two wrestled around for a minute before Tridon pinned Sayori on the bed.

"Look familiar?" Tridon asked.

"I was on top last time."

"So you're fine with either?"

"I wouldn't go any farther you two." Tiffany called out from behind them accompanied by everyone else, "Or the other 3 will destroy Tridon. Either that or they'll spend the rest of the trying to catch Tridon."

"What about my dating trial?!" Monika shouted, "Natsuki's ended already, so when's mine?!"

"Wait. Mine was ended prematurely because of the whole Robert, Voltrov thing." Natsuki fired back, "I should get a legit trial."

"What about me?" Yuri added, "Everyone always gets so much time with him while I'm here waiting for my turn."

"I think you just screwed yourself bud."

"Yeah."

The two of them looked at one another and laughed while Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki all argued who was going to get a trial run with Tridon.


	46. Training Woes

"Alright!" Tiffany shouted, "If you're going to be ready for when we go toe-to-toe with Robert, Voltrov, Epsilon, and Erica, then you'll have to train to be ready. This goes double for Tridon and Jen."

"Yes ma'am!" They all yell.

"You've all had improved since you arrived here 2 weeks ago. However, paper can't fight back and the last thing you'll be doing is firing a weapon out of cover and stationary. You have to know how to out maneuver around your enemy and fire while on the move." Tiffany pointed to Tridon and ushered him to step in front of her, "You'll go through a set number of training courses over these next few weeks. Hand-to-hand combat training. Knife training. Firearms training and lastly, a full-on weapons course that'll harness what you learn from the other training courses. Tridon, please go through this training course."

"But I've never seen this course before."

"I know. You'll be completing this to the best of your ability. Be on your toes."

"Right."

"Tridon here will set the bar. I expect you 5," Tiffany pointed at Sayori, Monika, Yuri, Natsuki, and Chelsea, "to meet that expectation. Tridon and Jen, I want you to exceed that."

Tridon popped his neck and stood at the starting line. He looked at Tiffany who pointed at the table next to him.

"During each run at this course, you'll be issued a basic 9mm handgun, an SMG, a combat knife, and mock grenades. Tridon."

"I got it." Tridon picked up the handgun and checked the chamber. He loaded the mag and pulled back the slide. He placed the safety on and picked up the SMG.

He jerked the cocking lever back multiple times before putting the mag in. He looked at Tiffany and asked, "Is the MP5 really necessary?"

"I'm trying to set an example Pierce."

"And I don't do SMGs." Tridon unloaded the MP5 and set it back down, "I'm just gonna do this my way. A handgun and a knife." Tridon slammed his hand on the button to begin the timer.

He sprinted through, quickly firing and stabbing each target dummy that popped up. When he got into a tight corridor, he used his knife efficiently and took out any dummy with the knife or his fists and feet.

He ran out and saw a flashbang fly towards him. He slid under it and threw his knife at it to cancel it. He stopped just before he reached the final doorway and shot at the last batch of dummies before running through the finish.

Everyone except Tiffany clapped and cheered as she stared at the time in disbelief. He moved the slide back on his handgun and nodded.

"Like I said, my way." Tridon placed the handgun down and looked at his time, "18 seconds. That's quite the bar to set."

"The record is 24 seconds." Tiffany said in amazement, "You destroyed it."

"It was my pleasure."

"Okay. I at least want you 5 to get just under 60. Jen," Tiffany paused and said, "good luck."

"Really motivational Captain..."

"I guess the best way to go about this is working on you're worst at." Tridon stated, "I can help whoever I can. Just don't bombard me with everything."

"Me first!" Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki shout while grabbing Tridon by his arms.

"Girls," Tridon slipped out of the grasps of the others and said, "we're splitting up into groups based on what each of you need help with."

"So that means," Jen started, "Yuri, Natsuki, and Chelsea will need to work on firearms and hand-to-hand combat. Monika and Sayori will need to work on knife training and a little bit of hand-to-hand combat training. All firearms training will be done by me. Tridon will be head of all combat training."

"So I will help Monika and Sayori first with combat training. You 3 will be with Jen to work on firearms because you 3 definitely need help with that. As for these 2," Tridon looked at Monika and Sayori before sighing, "I just hope the two of you can be able to handle how intense I get."

"I think we can manage." Monika answered while looking at Sayori who shook her head, "No. We probably won't manage."

"Alright," Tiffany interrupted, "disperse and get to work. Remember, you have this one week to show improvements before your real test at the end of the month."

* * *

Some time later, Tridon stretched while the girls joined him in their training gear. Which was basically leggings and sports bras. Tridon wore a tank top, shorts and an arm sleeve on his right arm.

He turned around and nodded, "You girls warmed up and ready?"

"Yeah."

Tridon looked over the two and smirked, "You two look nice for training."

"Am I catching your eye Tridon?" Monika cooed.

"No flirting." Tridon quickly responded before walking over to her and whispering, "Not yet anyway." Steam burst out of Monika's ears as she sighed in bliss. Tridon nodded and turned to Sayori, "Since she's in her own fantasy, you and I will start."

"Tridon..."

"What? You need some complimenting too?" Tridon looked at her and said, "You actually look damn hot in that getup."

"N-Not what I was getting at." Even so, Sayori lightly nudged him and said, "Thanks though."

"I know you're nervous about this whole training thing, but trust me. You couldn't have asked for a better teacher. Be glad that I'm your teacher and not Tiff."

"Is she rough?"

"Rough is an understatement." Tridon walked over to the open training area and ushered Sayori to follow him, "Now, hand-to-hand combat is mental and physical. Knowing your target and knowing how and when to strike back."

"What if your target does what you're trying to do, but better?"

"Like I said. It's mental. Outsmart them. Be a step ahead. If they're one step ahead, be 2 steps ahead. Then 3, 4, and so on. The last thing you want to do is panic and let anger take over. From there, your attacks will be sporadic yet predictable. They'll be able to take advantage of everything you do."

"Okay."

"So let's say I throw a jab at you." Tridon threw a lightning quick jab past Sayori's face and said, "Fighting Epsilon means you probably would've been combo'd into oblivion before he smashes your face into the ground."

"Uh..."

"You would need to watch how a person moves in order to know how they'll attack. God gave us two hands and feet, so you'll always be able to find a way to counter an attack. So try and hit me."

"Uh."

"Just do what you normally do when you want to punch me or something."

"I can't punch you unless I have a reason. I can't just punch you for no reason."

"Alright." Tridon leaned forward blew air on her cheek, "Expecting a kiss?"

"I-I..." Sayori tried to say something, but was interrupted by Tridon repeatedly lightly blowing air around her neck and face. Sayori shuttered before screaming, "Get back!" Sayori threw a punch at Tridon that he caught.

Sayori looked at him as he slowly tapped her upper body with his fist, "Like that and that." He moved her arm and stopped his fist right before her chin, "And to end it with a punch to the chin. They stumble back." Sayori moved back while Tridon stepped forward, "Then you palm strike the stomach." Tridon placed his left hand on Sayori's stomach and lightly pushed her, "Sweep." Tridon swept his leg, tripping Sayori, but he quickly slid and next to Sayori and caught her before she hit the ground, "I'd normally continue the beating, but this would give you the basics to it."

"I-I think I got it..."

The two stared at one another. Both of their eyes were glistening while they inched forward. As their faces were just inches apart, Monika cleared her throat from behind them.

"What's going on here?" She probed, "When do I get my turn?"

"Right..."

* * *

Moments later, Tridon flipped a knife in his hands while Monika and Sayori had theirs still sheathed, "Okay. Fighting with a knife is slightly more difficult as it can be countered against you."

"So how do we go about using our knives?"

"Knives I think are more situational. Use a knife when you need to. I can use a knife whenever because I'm trained." Tridon faced a training dummy and dragged his knife along it, "When you're trying to kill someone, always go for a lethal strikes. Incapacitation can be done by targeting nerves. Whether you need to kill will be determined by your ROE, or Rules of Engagement. However, I do what's necessary. Whether that means killing or knocking 'em out."

"Tridon," Sayori started, "willingly killing someone is..."

"Hard to think past. I know. What we do in our scenarios isn't what happens in our current reality. A good way to move your mind past the killing is to remember what you're fighting for. It's a basic brainwash technique the military uses in order to make sure their soldiers fight and kill without hesitation."

"Really?"

"It's usually a lot worse, but I always know who I'm fighting for." He pointed at the two of them and added, "You two, the others, and my family. If I hesitate, it'll be the death of me. I keep my mind on what's most important. Still," Tridon looked at the knife in his hand and said, "I know when to kill and when not to. All of you should know that as well." Tridon stabbed his knife in the neck of the target dummy and said on last thing, "Don't get lost in the bloodbath and become a mindless killer. It looks to be what Epsilon has become."

* * *

Later that night, Tridon sat in his room while looking at his knife. Tiffany stared at him as he did so. Tridon stabbed the knife in his desk and stood up.

"Something bothering you?" Tiffany asked.

"Am I going to become what Epsilon is?"

"What? What made you think that?"

"Episilon seems to just be following orders. Blindly like a mindless slave. I don't see him as that though." Tridon walked over to the mirror in their room and stared into it, "He's become a mindless killing machine. I'm going to become that if I don't change this." Tridon saw his reflection turn into Epsilon and he punched the mirror, shattering it, and cutting his hand severely.

"Tridon..." Tiffany ran over to him and grabbed his hand, "What is wrong with you? Don't say nonsense like that."

"Then promise you won't let me turn into a monster like him."

"I'll do everything I can to make sure you don't turn into Episilon." Tiffany caressed Tridon's hand and led him to his bed, "For now, you need to rest. I'm sure you've had a long day."

"Y-Yeah..." Tiffany helped Tridon lay down, but Tridon stopped her, "I'm 18 Tiff. I can put myself to bed."

"R-Right..."

Tridon put his blanket over himself and turned over on his side to face away from Tiffany. She smiled at him and stood up. She looked towards the door and noticed the girls standing there.

"Can I help you girls?"

"What happened?" Sayori asked, "We all heard the glass breaking. What did he do?"

"Uh," Tiffany looked at Tridon who was already fast asleep, "can we head off somewhere away from the quarters?"

They all nodded and followed Tiffany to their briefing room. Tiffany tapped her chin and sighed. She turned to the girls and they stared at her.

"I uh..." Tiffany scratched her arm and said, "You girls know that I've known Tridon for many years now, right?"

"How long exactly?" Monika asked.

"Erm. Uh. I guess I need to reveal my real age to all of you."

"Real age?" Everyone except Jen ask in unison.

"I'm actually 34 years old and I've known Tridon for 13 years. When I first became a special operator for enigma supervision, he was my first and only target."

"You knew him as long as I have." Sayori mumbled.

"My original boundaries were to watch him from afar. Follow him and make sure he wasn't in danger, but the more I watched him, the more I was interested in him. He was unique."

"Unique how?" Natsuki interrupted.

"He was nice to everyone. Always putting others before himself. No matter what kind of danger it would put him in. He always helped someone."

"Is that so weird?"

"It is for purebred enigmas." Sayori answered, "Most enigmas can't differ themselves from rational and irrational thinking. They act in ways to protect themselves and to only look out for themselves. It's rare for an enigma to openly help others."

"So I stepped past my boundaries and made contact with him. I presented myself as a friend of his mother. It's how I earned his trust so quickly."

"How long until he knew who you really were?" Yuri questioned, "With how intuitive he is, I doubt he was in the dark for long."

"When he first entered middle school is when he said he knew from the beginning, but he didn't care who I really was or what my goal was because he genuinely liked me. So I devoted my life to doing more to protect him. I sort of became like a second older sister to him."

"So why'd he punch the glass?"

"I don't know, but I think he's afraid he'll turn into Epsilon if he keeps going down this path. He doesn't want to become a mindless killing machine that Episilon is."

"But he won't. Right?"

"That's the thing." Tiffany paused and stared at the ground. She said until uttering, "I don't know..."


	47. Just A Scenario

Tridon stood behind Tiffany as she searched the usb's files. Tridon cleared his throat, snapping her out of her trance.

"Tridon?"

"Can I have a one on one spar with you?"

"What? Why?"

"I need to warm up my bones."

"But me?"

"Yeah."

"But you're better than me in all aspects. Why not have Jen spar with you?"

"Because you've taught me everything. I know I've 'topped my master', but I don't comfortable sparring with Jen. Only you."

"I can't teach you anything else. You know that."

"I know. I'm just asking you to fight me with everything you got."

Although hesitantly, Tiffany nodded, "Alright then."

* * *

Moments later, the girls watched Tridon and Tiffany stand a few feet from one another. Tridon dashed forward and threw several punches at Tiffany. All of which she dodged just barely. Tiffany jumped away to give her some space, but Tridon was quick on the draw.

He grabbed her and threw her over his head. However, she felt that the throw was light and that she was able to land on her feet. She dropkicked Tridon in his back making perform a handspring forward before backflipping and grabbing Tiffany with his legs.

He landed on his hands and started to move around in a circle before throwing her underneath him and pinning her. He threw one punch and stopped just inches from her face. Tridon flicked her nose lightly and smiled.

"I win." Tridon hopped off and offered a hand to her, "Thanks Tiff. I needed that."

"I-I..." Tiffany stuttered.

"That was so cool!" Tridon was instantly tackled down by Sayori, "You're such an awesome fighter. I mean, we knew that, but that was still cool!" Sayori spoke very fast and it was very hard to keep up with her.

"You never cease to amaze us." Monika said as she helped up Tiffany, "But Tiffany was great too. We can see where you got your combat expertise from."

"I didn't do as good as I wanted to." Tiffany mumbled, "Still, he's come a long way since I started training him. I'm still surprised he's this good after only a a few months of training. He's truly one of a kind."

"Yeah." Chelsea agreed, "I still don't know why my ex-boyfriend thought he had a chance against you. He should've figured it out the first time."

"Granted," Tridon started as he sat up holding Sayori, "I didn't start my training until maybe a week or so after that whole bake sale incident. Plus, I didn't do anything the first time. It was only the second time."

"I'm actually surprised that you weren't able to handle his friends too." Natsuki added, "You were already well into training when they jumped you. What happened there?"

"You were jumped?!" Sayori, Monika, and Sayori shout in unison.

"Thanks Natsuki. They still didn't know about it until now."

"Right..."

"Look," Tridon stood up and said, "I can take on a bunch of hacks any day. But Epsilon will be my biggest challenge yet. I just need the motivation to prepare for the inevitable fight against him."

"Epsilon will turn invisible to get an upper hand." Tiffany explained, "This means you have to be ready to fight a disappearing enemy along with him being able to hit you at any angle."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"It's a stretch, but if we want him to be prepared, we'll have to set a scenario to where he will be attacked from all angles."

"Are you telling us to do it?" Monika quickly asked.

"Oh god no. He would wipe the floor with all of you even if you attacked him at the same time. I mean that he needs to set up a scenario for himself."

"That's uh..." Tridon closed his eyes and shook his head, "I hope you know my mind will create the worst possible scenario. It'll be like a living nightmare."

"Point taken." Tiffany looked at Sayori and said, "Sayori, I need you to be with Tridon and snap yourselves out of there when things get dicey."

"But he's training."

"I know and you just have to watch. Make sure nothing goes wrong and when some does go wrong-."

"Yeah I get it." Sayori interrupted, "I'll go whenever he's ready."

"Give me a minute." Tridon mumbled as he walked off.

* * *

Moments later, Tridon was seen in the armory of the hideout loading up. Sayori walked in on him putting the last bit of his gear. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths.

"It's not the real thing Tridon."

"But it'll feel like the real thing and with how my mind is right now, it's not going to be pretty when I make this scenario."

"I'll be there. Albeit, not helping you physically, but I'll be there to support you. I'll be there no matter what. You know that. We're best friends. It's only right."

"Yeah." Tridon turned around and said, "Let's go."

Sayori watched Tridon walk off and couldn't help but feel the uneasiness in her chest, _"I don't want you to suffer like this anymore. This has to end."_

Tridon stood in the middle of the training field with Sayori at his side. He looked at everyone else who gave him the thumbs up. Tridon sighed and slowly snapped his fingers.

Both Tridon and Sayori were transported to the main lobby of Robert Arias Headquarters. Tridon looked around and saw Epsilon standing in front of them.

"Get to safety." Tridon quickly told Sayori. Moments after saying this, multiple Episilon's appeared around them, "Now!"

Sayori ran off while Tridon charged at the closest Epsilon to his left. The Epsilon dodged the first two punches Tridon threw and caught the next one. Before Tridon could retaliate, he kicked one of Tridon's knees out and kneed him as he fell.

Tridon fell back and rubbed his chin while the Epsilons proceeded to surround him while cracking their fists and necks. Tridon groaned and stood up. He swore to himself when they attacked him at the same time.

He pushed all of their punches to the side and tried his best to fight back, but he was outnumbered. No matter what he did, he would be countered and brutally attacked.

Tridon was knocked onto the ground while the Epsilon's surrounded him, "Do you really think you can beat me?" Epsilon growled as all the copies disappeared, "You need to figure it out by now. You have no chance to beat me alone. Even with all your friends, they'll be nothing but cannon fodder before I finish you off."

"Say what you want." Tridon took out a knife and stabbed a cloaked Epsilon, taking them out, "You know I'll never stop fighting." He stabbed another, and then another, "I won't stop until Robert's head is on a platter."

"Then am I so different from you?"

"Huh?"

"To your left!" Sayori shouted.

Tridon jumped back and dodged a knife from a Epsilon double and stabbed him in its neck. Tridon quickly backed up and looked around.

"You're becoming like me and you don't even realize it." Epsilon continued, "You may try to deny it, but that woman is turning you into a killing machine like me. Haven't you already passed her?"

"I-I..." Tridon jerked his head up and blocked a hand before instinctively stabbed the assailant. However, his eyes widened when he saw Sayori being the assailant, "What the hell?!"

"It's just an illusion!" Sayori shouted.

"I-I stabbed..."

"Tridon..." Sayori mumbled, "This is getting out of hand." Sayori snapped, but nothing happened, "What? Why isn't it working?!"

"Trying to leave are ya'?" A familiar voice to them started. Sayori turned around and saw the same Evil Tridon they fought last year, "Miss me Sayori?"

"Not you again!" Sayori backed up, but hit the Evil Tridon again, "No!" Sayori turned around and tried to swing at him, but it was quickly caught.

"Nu-uh." He cooed, "You wouldn't want to hit your best friend."

"You're not my best friend!"

"Am I not?"

Tridon looked over at Sayori being surrounded by his evil-self and his eyes turned a dark, crimson red. The red aura surrounded him. He growled softly as the aura grew larger and larger.

The Evil Tridon noticed this and smirked, "That's my queue. Have fun."

"What are you-?" Sayori looked at Tridon and saw him losing it, "Tridon!" Sayori looked at her hands again and said, "Hope it works this time." Sayori tried to snap, but stopped when a piece of debris nearly hit her, "What the?!"

Tridon roared incoherent words as the aura turned into a dark purple. Debris being ripped up around him was being tossed around and nearly falling on Sayori who could just barely dodge them.

"Tridon! Calm down!" No matter what Sayori said, nothing could be done. He was just losing it, "What's going on with you?"

All Tridon could hear was Epsilon's comments. Tridon grabbed his head and fell to a knee while Epsilon continued.

"In the end, your path will lead to more suffering for your friends. You could end it all now, but you continue to prolong their involvement with _your_ problems. Now, you have your best friend endlessly worrying about your mental state."

"Shut it..."

"All you have to do is go to Robert and end this all now. End your friends' involvement. It'll be the better and _only_ solution."

"Stop it!" Tridon roared, making his dark aura grow larger, "Get out of my head!" Wind picked up around them tossing the debris around more ferociously.

"I have to get us out of here." Sayori fought the force of the wind and eventually snapped, sending them back to the hideout.

Tridon's outburst was ended, but he was on the ground knocked out with remnants of the aura still emanating from him. Sayori stared at him just as Jen dragged her away and Tiffany checked on him.

"Everyone stay back. Jen, I need you to help me here."

"Yes ma'am." After Jen helped Sayori to her feet, she ran over to assist Tiffany.

"As for the rest of you, head to your quarters immediately. I'll call for all of you when everything is clear."

"But..." Sayori mumbled.

"Just go." Tiffany sternly ordered.

The girls looked at each other and walked off leaving Tiffany and Jen with Tridon. While walking away, they stared at Sayori.

Monika eventually asked, "What happened? What did you see?"

"An evil presence..."

The girls stared at Tridon as he laid almost lifeless on a bed. Tridon was hooked up to computers and was being kept alive through a ventilator.

Sayori pressed her hand on the glass they were watching him through and teared up, "Tridon..."

"Girls." Tiffany called out from behind them.

They turned around to see Tiffany accompanied by Jen.

"What exactly happened Sayori?" Tiffany asked.

"He was fighting off the Epsilons one by one, but they spoke to him." Sayori answered, "They were playing with his mind. I knew something was off, so I tried to snap out of there."

"But you couldn't?" Tiffany questioned.

"Yeah." She confirmed, "That's when I saw the evil version of himself again."

"Hm."

"Captain," Jen started, "I was there watching them remember?"

"You were there?" Natsuki asked.

"Based on what I've found in the usb drive, I've been able to get Jen to infiltrate scenarios when Tridon creates them. She observes the world and its actions. This time, she gave me evidence to review on Tridon." Tiffany walked past them towards a computer and entered a CD into it.

"What all of you didn't see is what Sayori and Jen caught."

Tiffany played a video played through the eyes of Jen.

"This is what she captured. I have yet to see it myself."

* * *

As the video played, it showed Tridon fighting off the Epsilons one by one, but eventually be overpowered by them. It led to all of them disappearing. Tridon spoke periodically. It was at that point that Sayori tried to snap back to the hideout, but she couldn't.

Evil Tridon stood behind Sayori and loomed around her. Tridon noticed what was going on around her and this is when he lost it. Eventually, a strong, dark force rose from Tridon and the heavy wind picked up. The wind pushed Sayori back, and even Jen, who was relatively far from them

This is where the video ends...

"I see." Tiffany mumbled, "I understand."

"What is it?" Sayori quickly asked.

"That darkness from the last adventure you lot had the previous semester is back and it's not holding back. It wants to take full-control of him."

"But why?"

"This darkness isn't natural. Almost as if it was placed inside him."

"Is that possible?"

Tiffany thought to herself for a second before shifting her glance to Tridon. She stared at him while he breathed heavily.

"We need to see Dr. Voltrov and Erica."

"What?!"

"They hold the answer to this dark power, and I think I know how they can help him." Tiffany looked over at Jen to say, "Stay here with him and make sure nothing happens."

"Got it." She respond.

"The rest of you get ready. We're going to put a stop to all of this."


	48. A Deal

"Are you sure they'll work with us?" Sayori asked, "Can we trust them?"

"There's one thing that Erica doesn't want to see." Tiffany responded, "And that's seeing Tridon suffer. She does want him, but she also doesn't want him to suffer. She knows the life of an enigma is rough. From birth until death, their lives is a never-ending rollercoaster."

"So how are we going to convince them to help us against Robert and get this dark persona out of him?" Monika asked next, "We do have their usb with Doctor Voltrov's work. Will they be so quick to help us?"

"All we can do is hope. Hope is all we have."

* * *

They soon arrived at a facility on the outskirts of the town. It was surrounded by a tall, concrete wall with watch towers surrounding it while guards stood at the front gate. They stared at the wall as it grew higher the closer they got. The guards glared at them each time they got closer. So much so it sent small amounts of fear into them.

"Quite the defense perimeter you have Voltrov." Tiffany commented, "He's ready for anything. All of you, don't do anything unless I give the order."

"Tiff," Yuri started, "we don't have much training. I don't think we'll even do much to his trained soldiers."

"That's why none of you should do anything. No matter how provoked you lot may get, don't do a damn thing." Tiffany stopped in front of the gate and stepped out, "Stay in the humvee all of you. I'll handle this." Tiffany walked towards the gate and looked at the guards ready to fire at her on command.

"You've come a long way from hiding in order to see Doctor Voltrov." Erica's voice came through a speaker that hung on the watch towers surrounding the gate, "I take you have something to discuss, correct?"

"It's about Tridon. I need to speak with Voltrov."

"And of those girls with you?"

Tiffany looked at them in the humvee and said, "I have to know where they'll be."

"Outside in the main courtyard is where they will be. They cannot be inside the building however."

"Give me a moment." Tiff walked back to the humvee and banged on it. She pointed at Sayori and ushered her to step out.

Sayori, although hesitant, stepped out," Yeah Tiff?"

"There's a handgun in the glove compartment. Keep that on you.

"But I..."

"Sayori, you're the most proficient with firearms. I can't trust Monika because she can fire a gun, but she can't hit the broadside of a barn if her life depended on it and in this case, your lives depend on your gun handling skills."

"That's a lot of pressure Tiff."

"Don't worry. Remember, we're doing this for your best friend."

"Right..." Tiffany walked off as Sayori repeated, "My best friend." Sayori stared at the wall of the wall and said to herself, "It's been so long since he confessed that he had feelings for all of us that I'd forgotten I was part of that pool." Sayori inhaled deeply and exhaled out, "Don't focus on that. Focus on saving your best... friend."

* * *

Back at the hideout, Jen watched Tridon sweat profusely from his forehead. Jen wiped the sweat off and sighed. She turned her attention to his fists. They were clenched so fiercely, she could see blood trickle from his hands.

Jen could only watch as she knew any unnatural feelings could send him off the grid. She stood up and leaned on the wall. Jen clasped her hands and hung them below her waist. She shuffled her hands and looked at Tridon's face.

"Everything I had done to gain your trust in high school." Jen started, "I wonder if it was all for not. If you and I were gonna be in this situation, then I wouldn't have needed to infiltrate your club with some half-assed lie about being a shy high school girl."

"Are you so sure of that?" Tridon started. However, his own voice was unnatural. It sound like his evil persona, "How sure are you about that?" He repeated as he rose up and stared at her, "Partner."

"Tridon?"

* * *

As for Tiffany, she stood across from Voltrov who was accompanied by 2 soldiers. She looked at the two and shook her head.

"I need to take any necessary precautions agent. You know that."

"But I'm alone. I told the girls to stay behind and Tridon is back in hiding."

"I know, but you never know with that group of yours. Those group of teenagers are an interesting bunch, aren't they?"

"You don't know the half of it."

"I know what Erica has told me."

Tiffany dug into her pocket and placed the usb on the table, "I've already learned everything from this usb. Your efforts to rid a person of their powers is murder. There are other ways."

"This way is the most efficient. I'm sure you saw that."

"With how Tridon is, he won't survive the process."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He's being controlled by a dark entity. If you extract his powers from him, you'll also extract this darkness. I don't want it extracted. I want him to be able to control it."

"Control it? I can't do anything about that."

"You can. You know you can't lie about that."

"So you saw."

"You work fast. I'm impressed. In the short time you had him, you figure out how to help him control it."

"However, the solution I made hasn't been tested. Obviously because he was my test subject. I have no idea if it'll work or not. It might suppress his dark power, but I'm not sure if it'll be permanent."

"There's more to it that you're not explaining to me."

"There is more. Not all of my work is on that one usb. It would be obvious that my work would be in one measly usb."

"So what can you do to help our situation."

"I might've given myself a bad vibe at first."

"Tridon said you drugged him just so you could get him into the MICU."

"I know. It was the only way to get him there because I know he wouldn't go willingly. Trust me. What I'm doing isn't bad. I'm trying to save him from Robert."

"This facility says the opposite."

"I know, but you have to trust me. I have the answers that you need to fix that boy and his friend."

"Sayori."

"So that's her name. Erica never told me her name. Only about her status and personality."

"So you know about her incomplete power?"

"I do and extracting it from her will be easier and I can guarantee that she won't be killed from it. However, Tridon is a special case."

"Is it because of how much energy he uses when he uses his power?"

"That's correct. I'm afraid the process will kill him, but there is always the possibility that he doesn't die."

"How high is that possibility?"

"I would say maybe 34%. Nothing higher. Nothing lower."

"Those odds aren't good." Tiffany stared at the table between them and sighed, "I have other choice though."

"Then I see it that we've come to an agreement."

"A loose agreement."

* * *

Outside in the courtyard, the girls could just feel them being eyeballed by the soldiers. They weren't lecherous looks. They were antagonistic. Sayori gripped the handgun on her hip as the glares got fiercer.

Her nerves were eased when Erica called out, "Don't mind them."

"Erica." Sayori muttered, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Dr. Voltrov?"

"He has two guards with him right now. I'm not needed."

"Erica," Sayori started, "do you still feel attached to Tridon? Like, are you still obsessive over him."

"A little, but not as much as before. All I care about now is giving him a normal life. A life away from all of this. His final months of high school are coming to a close and I want those last months to be normal."

"We all want that. It's not just you."

"I know how you feel Sayori. You've known him practically your whole life. I know you want this more than anyone."

"Do I though?"

"Hm?"

"I don't know if I want this."

"You don't want his freedom."

"I do, but with how things have been for him recently because of his powers has made his life so much easier."

"Has it really? Or is it causing more problems than you might believe."

"What do you mean?"

"His powers is the cause of all this. If he didn't have his power, he would have a normal life. He wouldn't have to worry about anything. Not Robert, Voltrov, or losing his football career."

"But he never would've met them." Sayori pointed to the others standing around the car.

Erica looked at them for a second and asked, "Are you so sure of that?"

"Huh?"

"You invited him to the club to help him meet other people, right?"

"I did."

"Then he would've met them regardless. His life would still relatively be the same. Just a little less chaotic since he won't have his powers. You have to think about it differently Sayori."

"But he's-."

"Help!" Jen shouted from their radio in the humvee, "I need-." She was interrupted by a massive explosion.

"What's going on Jen!" Sayori responded back, "What's happening?"

After a short pause, she shouted, "Tridon has gone off the rails! I'm trying to hold him off, but I can't do it for much longer. Help!"

"What do we do?" Monika asked, "We can't fight Tridon."

"We won't have to." Tiffany interrupted, "We have the cure for both his power and the darkness. For now at least." Tiffany looked at Natsuki and Chelsea to say, "I need both of you to head to the hideout and check on Jen. The rest of you, we're heading to Arias Headquarters. I have a feeling that's where Tridon is heading."


	49. One Problem After Another

Tridon stood outside of Arias Headquarters downtown. People passed by him staring at him in fear. He stood outside in his full gear. Chest rig, knives on his thigh and a pistol holstered on his chest rig. Police eventually arrived to figure out what he was doing.

"Sir," one of the policemen started, "is there a problem?" The policeman reached out, but Tridon snatched his hand and sent him flying into a nearby car, denting it severly. The other policeman ran over to the one Tridon shoved and helped them up.

"Stay out of my way." Tridon proceeded to walk forward while the police officers radioed in what Tridon had done and what they think he'll be doing.

All the while Robert watched from his office at the top floor of the massive 80 story building. Epsilon stood behind him and Lola stood next to his desk.

"You know what to do Epsilon. Go."

"Yes sir." Epsilon disappeared and went off.

"As for you little cousin, I hope you won't forget the reason for our goal here." Robert turned to her and said, "If Epsilon were to ever fail, and I highly doubt he will, I need you to be the last line of defense for me. Don't fail."

"Yes cousin." Lola inhaled deeply and went off.

"Alright Pierce. This seems to be our final bout. Let's see what ya' got without those stupid girls behind you."

* * *

Tiffany drove at high speeds through the town with Voltrov and his army following them. Tiffany had her eyes locked in front of them while gripping the steering wheel fiercely.

"So Tridon is being tempted by his dark power to charge at Robert unprepared." Yuri wondered, "Or is there an ounce of him that wants this."

"You can't deny that." Monika answered, "Robert has been a thorn in all of our sides since last year. He wants to end this."

"But that idiot won't end it if he's controlled by this dark persona." Tiffany interrupted, "We have to stop him before he gets to Epsilon. If he sees Epsilon, he'll be taken advantage of by him because of his dark persona."

"Tiff," Sayori pointed in front of them were squad cars and SWAT transport vehicles were parked outside Arias Headquarters, "I think Tridon is already here and inside."

"Damn it."

"Captain," someone spoke on a radio started, "what should we do?"

"Is the parking garage blocked?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Use your FBI badges to get by. Tell them that this is a federal problem."

"But Captain-."

"Are you going against my orders?"

"N-No Captain."

"Then move in."

"Roger that Captain."

"As for all of you, you must stay with me. Voltrov and his men will enter through the west entrance in order to cover more ground. All of you will move in with me. My other team will move through the parking garage in the east wing and start higher than us. I only hope that we can catch Tridon before he fights Epsilon."

"What do we do when we see him?" Sayori asked, "What did the doctor tell you?"

"He gave me what I need to save him. Don't worry."

* * *

Meanwhile, Natsuki and Chelsea arrived to the hideout to see it practically destroyed. They looked around in shock at the destruction.

"Where's Jen?" Natsuki checked under some rubble, but couldn't find her, "Come on Jen. Where are you?"

"Over here Natsuki!" Chelsea called out as she found Jen battered and unconscious in the firing range, "Jen. Wake up. Come on."

"How's she looking."

"Definitely beaten down. Tridon really put a number on her." Chelsea looked around and said, "See if you can find smelling salts. If there's a chance you can find it."

"Alright."

"Jen?" Chelsea kept calling out to her while checking around, "This is weird. Something feels off."

"I found the smelling salts." Natsuki waved the salts underneath Jen's nose and waited a few seconds.

Her eyes shot open and she jerked her head up. She breathed in and out heavily while looking around sporadically. She looked at Natsuki and Chelsea before shaking her head.

"No. You guys shouldn't have come here."

"What?"

Jen pushed them out of the way and dropped something on the ground. A large barrier similar to Lola's appeared in front of them. It caught several bullets as Robert's soldiers ran inside firing at them.

"Robert's soldiers attacked just before Tridon escaped. Tridon did a number on me, but I was left to fight off his soldiers. I hid in here and I think they noticed I was passed out. They were waiting on someone to come back here."

"Are the weapons here loaded?"

"They should be." Jen looked at one of caches behind them and pointed at it, "Rifles and ammo should be in there. Hurry! This shield won't stay up much longer."

"Right!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Tridon threw a soldier into a wall and drilled his foot into their chest. He held it there when he grabbed a soldier who charged at him. He lifted them up and dropped them on the leg he used to hold the soldier against the wall.

The soldier limped off and Tridon let go of the soldier. He looked around to see the hallway riddled with soldiers. They were either unconscious or dead. Tridon stared at the bodies before moving along.

"Just give me back control!" Tridon shouted at his evil self in his mind, "Stop this now!"

"Isn't this what you want? You want to stop Robert once and for all, right?"

"I do, but this is not the way to do it. This goes against everything I learned. You're killing indiscriminately. Knock them out and only kill if they don't give up. Everyone we've come across have given up without a fight. You still attack them."

"You can't be so sure. You have to do what's necessary to get pass everyone."

As he said this, he looked at a group of soldiers were practically cowering in fear. They backed up as Tridon walked up to them. He smirked devilishly the closer he got.

"No! Stop it!" Tridon shouted. Even so, his body attacked the soldiers mercilessly, "This isn't how I am. I just wanted to end Robert's bs once and for all!"

"And that's what I'm doing. I'm doing this for you. You wanted results right? I'm getting you the results you and your friends desire so much."

"No!"

* * *

In front of the building after the girls finished gearing up, they made their way to the front door where it was surrounded by police officers, SWAT officers, and even marines.

"Hold up there ladies." A SWAT officer stopped them and said, "Nobody is allowed here."

"This is a federal matter." Tiffany walked past them after shoulder checking him, "So stand aside."

"We have this under control." The SWAT officer grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, "Doesn't matter if this is federal or not."

"You made a mistake for doing this boy." Tiffany grabbed the officer and threw him over her shoulder and pinned him with her knee, "The man in there is under my jurisdiction. This is my problem whether you like it or not."

"Cool it agent." A marine interrupted, "Let him go."

"Tch." Tiffany scoffed and got off of the officer, "Don't you think you should tell these law enforcement officers to know who to let in, Corporal White?"

"You know him?" Sayori interrupted.

"Yeah. I trained him a little several years back." Tiffany ushered them to follow her, "Let's go." Tiffany looked at Corporal White and said, "Some of my other men are moving through. There aren't any other law enforcement officers or soldiers in there, right?"

"There are some. They'll probably try to apprehend you."

"My crew here know the ROE." Tiffany and the girls walked as she continued saying, "Attack when provoked and kill when necessary."

"Are we really going to kill?" Yuri quickly asked, "I've never fired at anyone before. Even at Voltrov's facility. I didn't fire a single bullet."

"Remember your training. Or what you got from it. Do what's needed to protect yourselves and your teammates. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Back at the hideout, Natsuki, Chelsea, and Jen were pinned by an ambush set up by Robert. Jen was still groggy and injured from Tridon's outburst and their sudden attack, so she has to rely on Natsuki and Chelsea.

"There's no way we can retaliate." Chelsea groaned, "There's probably 8 of them and only 3 of us. They have us pinned and we don't have much ammo or cover."

"Is this it?" Natsuki softly asked, "Dying like a bunch of sitting ducks."

"Nope." Jen answered as she slapped on a pair of gauntlets, "These are just prototypes and they haven't been tested yet." Jen punched them together, igniting an electric spark, "But we have no other choice."

Jen leaped from cover and at the same time, the gauntlets shot electricity out. When she landed, she punched the ground, igniting a massive, electric explosion. This sent 4 of Robert's soldiers flying into the walls of the hideout. She dodged other attacks by them and would retaliate through punches with her gauntlets.

"Those things shoot out electricity." Natsuki commented in amazement, "So cool."

"But she said they were prototypes. Who knows when those gauntlets give out."

"Then that's our queue to help her."

"Right."

Just as the gauntlets started malfunctioning, Chelsea fired at 2 soldiers moving to attack her from behind. She looked at them and gave them a thumbs up before turning to the last 2 soldiers.

"I'd run away if I were you two." Jen growled making the soldiers run away with their tails between their legs. Jen sighed in relief and tore the gauntlets off of her. She stared at her hands that were burnt and battered from using the gauntlets, "They still need more work Captain..."

"Jen?"

"Let's get these guys tied up and let's head to Arias Headquarters. I have a feeling they'll need some help. Let's go."

Tiffany fought off a group of Robert's soldiers, but felt her self get winded. She fell to a knee huffing and puffing. Sayori stepped in and dropkicked them into a wall.

"Something wrong?"

"I haven't done anything this intense in a while. All I've done are stealth missions. I might be in my 30s, but I've been through a lot in my early years."

"Then let us take the reigns." Monika commented while throwing a guard to the ground. Monika popped his neck and added, "Tridon and Jen have trained us really well. I think we can do this."

Yuri ducked under a guards attack and the guard ran into Sayori's first, "I'll get us to Tridon. You just lay back and help when you can."

"Yeah." Jen stood up and popped her back, "I need to retire soon..."

* * *

Tridon eventually stepped into a large white room with a several balconies surrounding it. There was one door at the other end where Epsilon stood guard at. Epsilon stepped forward while Tridon kept making his way towards him.

"You made it this far." Epsilon started, "I expected that."

"Those soldiers Robert has are nothing more than a bunch of civies playing dress-up." Tridon cracked his knuckles and popped his neck, "I've been waiting for this."

Tridon ran forward and attacked at inhumane speeds. He threw punch after punch and sweep kicks after sweep kicks without letting up. Despite this, Epsilon dodged each attack with ease.

"No!" Tridon shouted in his mind, "You're just attacking! This isn't how you fight!"

"Quiet you!" His evil counterpart retaliated, "I have unlimited power. Nothing will stop me from killing this man!"

"I don't have any beef with Epsilon. It's Robert that I'm after!"

"He works for him, so he must go down too."

_"Is this really how I feel?" Tridon thought to himself, "Anyone who works with Robert is automatically my enemy. But is that true? Lola. Erica. Both of you never worked Robert because you were malicious. You did it because you were forced. Manipulated. Manipulated by a certain desire that was blindly promised to you for your blind loyalty. Is that me now? Blindly killing anyone that works with Roberts because it's my desire to kill him? If I kill him. What do I do then? What does anyone do at that point?"_

Tridon watched his body act on its own. Attacking Epsilon however it could, but to no avail. Epsilon easily countered every hit and used his power properly. He wasn't ready to fight Epsilon. He never was. He could never fight him alone. In the end, Tridon is just a high school student that's naturally athletic.

Epsilon was transformed into a fighting machine that no normal human could surpass. Even with his own enhancements through his dark persona, Tridon couldn't do anything to actually stop Epsilon alone.

_"If only I had better control of my emotions. If only..."_

"You do know you and I are the same." Tridon's evil counterpart interrupted, "We are the same. I am you and you are me because you are another Tridon that you created. Born from your true desire to kill Robert Arias. I was born to help you deal with that menace. You made me because you are too weak."

"No. I didn't!"

"Just give into it now. You know what I'm saying is true. It's why you're heavily in denial. You know what I say is the truth. In the end, you're just a scared little boy who's too weak to do anything for themselves. Did you really think it was you doing all those heroic deeds? The car chase in the noire story. The spec ops scenario. Or my personal favorite, the zombie adventure? That was all me. You didn't want to feel inferior, so you created me to do these boneheaded scenarios."

"Stop! Stop!"

"In the end, you're nothing without me. Your confidence. Your charms. Your personality. It all stems from me. From the beginning, I got you this popularity with the girls. Without me, you're nothing!"

"Stop it right now!" Tridon roared.

A dark purple aura shot out from around him making Epsilon jump back. He watched on while Tridon had his meltdown.

"Stop it! Stop right now!" Tridon repeated.

The aura shot around the room, causing small explosions around the room. Tridon stood grabbing his head and screaming bloody murder.

"Robert," Epsilon started while pressing and earpiece, "we have a situation."

"I see. End it."

"What?"

"He's useless to us if he collapses the building. Kill him. We can start from scratch."

"Yes sir." Epsilon stared at Tridon and walked over to him, "This could've been different. But you're just a hot mess."

"Stop!" Sayori shouted while her, Monika, and Yuri fired at Epsilon to make him jump away from Tridon. They stood in front of Tridon while Tiffany checked on Tridon, "Whatever you're gonna do Tiff. Do it now! Save my best friend!"

"Tridon," Tiffany started, "if you can hear me," she took out a syringe and tearfully shut her eyes, "I'm sorry in advance!" Tiffany stabbed the syringe in his neck and everything went black...

**_TO BE CONTINUED..._ **


	50. Robert's Downfall

Tridon's vision remained blurry for a short moment, but he could hear voices. Voices that were extremely familiar to him. He heard Sayori's voice. His mom's voice. His sister's, Tiffany's, Monika's, Yuri's, and Natsuki's. He heard all of his friends and family.

"Where am I?" Tridon wondered just as his vision cleared. Everything felt like a dream sequence to him. He was initially confused as he saw multiple bubbles with his past memories.

All of his good memories. From when he was first born, to when he first met Sayori, and all of his memories with the girls. Tridon continued walking while observing the memories. A small smile crept on his face the longer he walked.

However, the images changed to showcase his darker actions. All of his ill-fated choices. Even the ones he doesn't remember during his blow ups. But now that he could see them, he couldn't help but detest himself for what he's done.

"This isn't you Tridon." Tiffany interrupted.

"Tiff? The hell are you doing here?"

"You can hear me right?

"I just responded to you, so does that answer your question."

"Good to know you still have a smart mouth. Look Tridon, what you're experiencing is what's going to help you beat this dark persona."

"How? What's going on?"

"I know you might not like it, but Voltrov made the serum I injected you with. Now I'm here to help with your situation."

"Tiff, you've known me my whole life. What makes you think I can be helped. Not even Sayori, my best friend, could help me through this situation. I've just been nothing but trouble."

Tiffany appeared behind Tridon and slapped the back of his head, "Shut it will you?"

"Tiff?"

"Do you even listen to yourself half of the time?"

"Not particularly."

"You're not trouble. Trouble follows you, but you're not the reason for that."

"Yeah. It's me being an enigma. If I wasn't an enigma, there wouldn't be this type of trouble. I'd just be having fun with everyone. But now, I'm doing what I never wanted to do. This stupid secret agent stuff!"

"Tridon," Tiffany wrapped her arms around Tridon and he felt himself grow smaller, "do you remember how this felt?"

"What's going on?" Tridon's voice was higher. He tried to figure out what was going on and he looked at his hands. They were smaller, "Tiff?"

"This is what I did to help calm you down when you were a kid. If you had a bad day at school and you needed someone to talk to, I was always there for you."

"But that's when I was still in elementary school. I'm a senior in high school about to graduate."

"Not right now." Tridon was shown his reflection and he resembled himself from when he was in 2nd grade, "Right now. You're a kid."

"But the girls."

"They can distract Epsilon. You and I," Tiffany spun Tridon and gripped his shoulders, "need to have a much needed to talk. Let it out."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tiffany was off to the side with Tridon's unconscious body while Sayori, Monika, and Yuri stood-off with Epsilon.

"What do we do?" Yuri looked at Sayori and added, "We can't fight Epsilon."

"We don't have to. Just keep him away from Tridon and Tiff."

"Right!"

"Split up and surround him!" Sayori ordered, "Keep him away from Tridon!"

"Robert." Epsilon started, but before he could explain, Robert interrupted him.

"Take care of them first, then deal with Tridon. That's an order."

Although hesitant, he responded with a deadpan tone, "Yes sir." He looked at the girls surrounding him and looming around him. He thought back to what Tridon said and whispered it to himself, "A killer blindly following orders."

Jen, Natsuki, and Chelsea made it towards the building on a helicopter and they were about to land when several helicopters appeared from out of nowhere. Helicopters of both the local law enforcement and Robert's army.

"Uh oh." Jen pulled up to dodge the helicopters, "Looks like we stumbled on a helicopter dog fight."

"Either that or the police is preventing us from landing along with Robert's men." Chelsea growled, "What do we do?"

"I'm not a very good pilot. So we probably have to land somewhere else."

"Wait," Natsuki dug through a cache and took out a sniper, "we can land on another roof, but let's set up close by. I say we help Tridon when he gets to Robert."

"Alright." Jen eased up and moved to a nearby building. However, they were still chased by the two helicopters, "Get ready for a fight when we land. I want you two to rappel out of the helicopter over this building. Find the perfect spot while I try and land this thing."

"Right."

Both Natsuki and Chelsea dropped their respective ropes. Chelsea got ready, but Natsuki froze.

"Why are you freezing up Natsuki?" Jen called out, "We've run rappel drills multiple times. This isn't any different."

"We had a soft mat to fall on at the hideout. This landing won't be so soft."

"Well," Chelsea grabbed Natsuki and said, "you already know what's about to happen. Only this time, it's me and not Tridon doing this." Chelsea shoved Natsuki onto the rappel rope and she slid down while screaming, "I mean, she had to go down there one way or another." Jen nodded in agreement while Chelsea followed behind Natsuki.

* * *

Meanwhile, Monika was sent across the room while Yuri was countered in oblivion. Sayori watched her friends being beaten by Epsilon with relative ease. Even so, she didn't lose her ground. She didn't cower away. She didn't back down. She knew that they couldn't beat Epsilon. She knew that they never stood a chance. But she also knew that she just needed buy time for Tiffany to deal with Tridon.

"You haven't even tried to fight." Epsilon started, "Are you just ordering these two to do your bidding? Why don't you fight me."

"I know fighting you would be practically suicide." Sayori stepped up and continued, "But you would know a lot about following orders. You are Robert's lap dog. I know people like you don't usually lead people. I expected you to be a lone wolf. Only doing things that would benefit yourself. Not others."

"I only do-."

"What's told of me. I know. I've heard the spiel before. It's rehearsed way too much by someone who isn't very keen on what they want."

All while Sayori was saying this, Monika and Yuri watched on in amazement. Monika slowly stood up and quickly ran over to Yuri to help her up.

"Our training really trained us for everything." Monika commented, "Even the mind manipulation Tridon talked about during our knife training."

"Maybe it's more than that." Yuri added, "I think those two are much more in sync than we might think. What if she's the right match for him?"

"Don't be crazy." Monika quickly shot down, "I'm still in the running of being his wife."

"I think you're skipping some steps there Monika."

"Still." Monika looked back at Tiffany and Tridon and sighed, "I hope Tiff is close to fixing Tridon."

* * *

In Tridon's mind, Tridon was still a kid and Tiffany was consoling him. Tiff caressed his head while Tridon laid and stared off in the distance.

"I can't believe I missed all of this." Tiffany started, "All of it. I'm suppose to watch over you and I could barely catch that you were suffering."

"It's probably because I was growing." As Tridon said this, his body grew and grew until he was back in his normal state, "The more I grew, the more you thought I could take care of myself. For the most part, that was true. However, the older I got, the harder it got to maintain myself with only Sayori as a friend. Hiding the fact that I had powers just gave me a fake look. Something fake."

"Do you want to get rid of your powers?"

"Maybe. It'll make my future a lot easier."

"But the future isn't here yet."

"Tiff," Tridon sat up and shook his head, "I don't know what to do. This dark persona. Doing this won't suppress it forever."

"No, but it will help you be able to control it whenever necessary."

"What do you mean. Whenever you feel yourself get like this, find a spot before you lose it and head into here."

"But how will you be here?"

"I won't. It's up to you to figure out a way to control the darkness. Whether it's venting to yourself or-."

"Wait a second. How are you even in here?"

"No time to explain. It's time for you to wake up. Wake up!"

Tridon's eyes shot open when Tiffany shouted at him. He looked around and saw Tiffany holding him. He pushed her off and stood up. Tridon stepped up and took out a handful of grenades.

"I'll distract him. You hand these to the others." Tridon handed Tiffany the grenades, "Knowing you, I think you'll be able to understand what I'm doing." Tridon trudged forward to where Epsilon and Sayori were fighting one another.

Tiffany could only smile and mutter, "Welcome back Tridon."

* * *

Meanwhile on the roof nearby, Natsuki and Chelsea were fighting off both law enforcement officers and Robert's soldiers. Chelsea battled it out with law enforcement officers with firearms while Natsuki fought Robert's soldiers through hand-to-hand combat. Jen was still in the air trying to lose the helicopters and their remaining crew.

Natsuki and Chelsea were eventually back to back while being surrounded. Natsuki had her knife out while Chelsea had a rifle in her hands, but she only had the one mag that was in the gun.

"What do we do?"

"Well, they're enemies." Chelsea looked at Natsuki and said, "How about we let them fight each other."

They nodded at one another and they ducked as soon as they fired, shooting each other instead of Natsuki and Chelsea. They stood up and laughed their hearts out.

"Or they could shoot each other." Natsuki said in between, "What a bunch of idiots."

"Come on Natsuki." Chelsea said after catching her breath, "Let's help Jen with her situation."

"Got it." Natsuki wiped a tear from her eyes and set up the sniper. She pressed an ear piece and said, "Jen, do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Natsuki."

"See if you can fly them around in front of me. I'll take them out for you."

"Alright. You have one shot because I don't think they'll fall for it twice."

"Natsuki," Chelsea interrupted, "I'll take care of Robert's helicopter. See if you can get that police helicopter off of her."

"Got it."

"Be careful you two." Jen interrupted, "Don't make them crash. Just get them off of me. We can't have any collateral damage by having them crash."

"Got it!" They both respond.

Chelsea ran off while Natsuki situated herself on the sniper, "Just remember your training." Natsuki exhaled deeply and looked through the scope, "Line it up. Feel the wind. Know the drop. No spotter, so it's all on intuition." Jen moved across her vision and as if the world slowed down, she pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew through the air and just as the police helicopter crossed, it hit both pilots in their legs. They flinched and pulled off immediately. Natsuki sighed in relief and pulled the bolt back with a massive smile on her face.

Chelsea climbed onto the exit of the roof they were on and aimed her rifle at the helicopter of Robert. She traced it and took some deep breaths, "Squeeze the trigger and use your body to stop the recoil. Keep a stable stance and fire." Chelsea fired at the helicopter and sprayed haphazardly.

Each bullet hit the helicopter and some of the them hit the rotators on it. The gunners on the helicopter turned to her and started to fire, but Chelsea dropped the same shield Jen dropped earlier and it caught every bullet they fired at her. It dropped when there guns overheated and she fired back at them.

She managed to take out the gunners and injured the pilots. They pulled off, finally taking off the heat from Jen.

"Thanks for the back up girls. Now all we gotta do is wait for Tridon and the others to get to Robert's office. Then this'll finally be over."

* * *

Tridon and Sayori fought Epsilon together, but he was able to fight them off with ease. No matter what they did, they couldn't find a crack in his defense. Epsilon dropkicked the both of them and sent them flying next to the others.

"I hope your plan works Tridon." Monika helped Tridon up while Yuri helped Sayori up, "Because this is our only chance to get him."

"It will." Tridon nodded his head and the girls proceeded to surround him. He looked at them and nodded. One by one, they attacked Epsilon. First was Yuri who was easily overpowered. Next was Monika who put up a small fight, but quickly fell.

Tiffany managed to be toe-to-toe with Epsilon, but quickly lost her footing. She was thrown away while Tridon and Sayori moved in while he was distracted. They managed to get some hits on Epsilon which caused him to stumble back. They nodded at one another and ran towards him.

However, instead of attacking him again, they rolled forward and placed the grenades on him. They met back with others while Tridon held up a button.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." Tridon started, "Once I press this button, those things will explode instantly."

"What are these." Epsilon tried to rip them off, but a wave of electricity shot through him, sending him to his knees, "What the hell?"

"A new prototype we've been working on." Tiffany commented, "I'm glad they're working as planned."

"When you try to take them off, they'll shock you. Sending over 100,000 volts of electricity through your body. Normally that would incapacitate the normal person, but you're not normal."

"Well," Epsilon groaned, "you got me. Are you finally gonna kill me?"

"No." Tridon answered, "You're not who we're after. Robert is our target."

"Then what are you going to do with me?"

"I'm willing to let you go." Tiffany responded, "Leave now and I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

"We understand that you were just following orders." Sayori added, "You hesitated. You sensed the negativity from Robert."

"Robert might've given me my powers, but he's not a man I would willingly work for." Epsilon stood up and said, "Promise me that you take that man down."

"You know I'll take him down." Tridon answered. Tridon pressed the button and all of the grenades fell off of him making him laugh, "Did you really think I would set off that many explosives?"

"Haha." Epsilon laughed shocking everyone, "You lot are a group of interesting people. I hope we meet again." And with that, Epsilon disappeared.

"Well," Tridon started, "let's get going."

* * *

After making their way up, they stood in front of the door. Tridon took a deep breath while Sayori squeezed his shoulder. He took out his handgun and shook his head quickly.

"Let's go." Tridon kicked the door open and charged in with the others. Robert stood staring out his window and slowly turned around, "Robert!"

"You know. I'm impressed you got pass Epsilon, but I should've expected as much. However, you forgot that I'm always one step ahead."

Behind them, Tiffany's team walked in and surrounded them while Lola appeared in front of them. Tiffany looked at her team in shock and frowned at them.

"You traitors!"

"It's common knowledge agent." Robert taunted, "Money can do wonders for people."

"They're on a payroll." Yuri commented, "Same thing for the cops at ground zero."

However, on the roof, Jen looked through the scope and shook her head, "I knew those guys were on a payroll. This should give them an advantage." Jen fired and took out 2 of the turncoat soldiers.

Tridon took this moment to grab the arms of one of them and aimed their gun as they fired at each other. Tridon kicked him and fired into his chest. Lola grabbed him from behind and tried to choke him.

Sayori tackled one of the soldiers and punched them into oblivion. The remaining soldiers were being fought off by Monika and Yuri. Tiffany stared Robert down and moved to get him, but she heard several weapons being loaded behind them.

She turned around to see Voltrov and his men aiming at them. She looked at Robert and shook her head.

"Like I said. I always have backup plans."

"Although," Voltrov started, "I am surprised the serum I did give you didn't kill Tridon. What's going on?"

"You tried to poison him." Tiffany looked at Tridon throw Lola off of him and the both of them glare at one another, "The hell?"

"The reason he wasn't poisoned is because," Erica stomped on Voltrov's foot and used his body to lift herself up and kick all of the soldiers with them. She landed and threw Voltrov over her shoulder, "I switched them."

"Erica?" Monika asked, "Did you really?"

"Yes. Like _I_ said. I don't want to see Tridon suffer."

"He'll have to suffer just a little more." Robert took out a handgun and fired at Erica, shooting her 3 times in her chest.

She fell to the ground and Monika instantly went to check on her. Everyone looked at Robert in shock while he smirked. He aimed at Tridon and fired 3 shots again. However, Lola jumped in front of him and stopped the bullets.

"Lola!" Robert shouted, "You little-." Before Robert could finish, he was shot in the shoulder by Jen across the building. He fell to the ground and grabbed his shoulder, "Damn it."

Tridon walked past Lola and whispered to her, "I'll deal with you later." Tridon walked up to Robert who tried to shoot at him again, but he shoved his arm to the air just as he shot. Tridon lifted him up and held him outside the window.

"Do it." Robert taunted, "This is what you want, right? Remember, if they I die, so does this town. You'll be the reason this town turns into the Slums of Colorado!"

"I know." Tridon looked down below and said, "I could let you go and let you drop 80 stories to your death." However, Tridon brought Robert back in and threw him in the middle of the girls, "But it's not the right thing." He walked back over to them and looked at Lola, "Cuff him Tiff." He grabbed Lola and cuffed her as well, "I got her."

"Tridon..." Yuri walked over to him and took a hold of Lola, "Are you sure this is right?"

"She was an accomplice. She played with us. She made us look like fools." Tridon glared at Lola who avoided his gaze. He has yet to say anything since she appeared, "I'll handle her Yuri."

"But..."

"Make sure our exits are secure. Cuff up Voltrov and his men. We're done here."

"O-Okay..."

Tridon walked over to the window and pressed his earpiece, "We're heading out you 3." He started, "We got 'em."

"Solid Copy Tridon." Jen responded, "Moving to the rendezvous point, out." Jen stood up and looked at the Chelsea and Natsuki before throwing up a thumbs up, "Robert is done."

"Finally!" Natsuki and Chelsea cheered while hugging each other.

"All we gotta do now is book him and maybe we'll find a way to get rid of Tridon and Sayori's powers."

"Alright." Natsuki happily started, "Let's go!"

The day after, Tridon walked towards an interrogation room, but Tiffany stopped him, "What's going on Tiff?"

"I'll handle Robert first Tridon. Lola on the other hand, won't talk to anyone, and I think you're the only one that can get her to talk."

"I said I wanted to save her before, but now I'm second guessing myself."

"She saved you from those gunshots. The least you can do is hear her out or at least get her to talk." Tiffany grabbed his shirt and said, "Don't do anything irrational. Save that for Robert."

"Right." Tridon walked towards another interrogation room and stared at the door. He placed his hand on the door and balled up his hand, "Remember back Tridon. You can do this. Don't lose sight of who she really is. She's just like Erica and Epsilon. Blindly following orders."

Tridon shook his head and walked in. He instantly drew his gaze at Lola who had her head held low and her hands cuffed to the table. Tridon sat across from her and cross his legs.

"Are you only going to talk to me?"

"I'm afraid of what the others will do."

"That's a little obscure. I would much rather see you pay for backstabbing us at our lowest point. I would like to see you take responsibility for playing with our trust. But the others don't think the same as me."

"Huh?"

"They don't see you like I do. They don't see a backstabber. They see someone who was blinded by their older cousin's power."

"If you say that so confidently, then why won't you give me a chance."

"I trusted you." Tridon answered, "I thought that I didn't need to watch my back after the whole Erica fiasco. I thought I could trust people again. I protected you. I became your fake boyfriend. I put my faith into you and you stabbed it!" Tridon slammed his hands on the table and walked over to her.

"Then what are you gonna do?"

"I wanna ask why. I know you didn't want to do what you did with malicious intent. I know only that your older cousin wanted you to help him. But why did you help him?" Lola hesitated, so Tridon took out his revolver and placed the barrel on her head, "Tell me."

"A-At first," she quickly started, "I was only there to spy and report my findings. However, when he saw that I was in too deep, he wanted me to pull out before, in his words, got distracted from my job."

"So you chose it to be during our breakout mission to save Jen?"

"It was the only way I could get back without rising suspicion."

"You could've just up and left like Jen did when she joined our club last year rather than stab us in the back at the worst possible point."

"Tridon," Lola looked up at Tridon and said, "ever since then, I've held regret. I just couldn't do anything about it. I was a rock in a hard place working for my cousin."

"What about your parents? Why did they do this to you."

"Well, he said it himself. Money will do wonders for people."

"Well, after today, his money will be nothing more than printed paper." Tridon moved his gun from her head and finally asked, "I have one more question." She looked at him as he asked, "Do you want to get rid of your powers?"

Tridon stepped out to see Tiffany waiting on him. She ushered him to the next interrogation room to which he walked towards.

"Does she want to get rid of her powers?" She finally asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead and set it up. I won't be long." Tridon walked in to see Robert staring at him, "No witty remarks yet?"

"I have no need to. That captain of yours dried me out. She's real fun to mess with."

"So what was your real plan with me? You wanted to extract my power and then what? World domination seemed too generic and it doesn't seem like you really needed me."

"I didn't need your powers." Robert answered without hesitation, "Oh and not because I didn't want to extract them. I more so wanted to study you. What better way to do that than to make you another Epsilon. I probably would've called you Eta."

"Beta without the b?"

"That's correct?"

"Well, I don't know what brainwashing technique you used on Epsilon, but it probably wouldn't have worked on me."

"You'd be surprised with how similar the two of you are. You'd be very surprised."

"You do know you'll be going away for a long while, right?"

"Yeah. I've already accepted it." Robert stared at Tridon and asked, "Shouldn't you do much more?"

"I don't need to. You're getting what you deserve. My job is done. I don't need to do anything more to you just out of spite. Besides," Tridon proceeded to step out, "where you will be locked up won't exactly be a nice place." Tridon stepped and closed the door. All while Robert could only smirk devilishly.

Tridon was met with Sayori, Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki. Tridon walked past them and they followed closely behind him.

"So is everything over with him now?" Monika asked, "Are we going to be good to head back to the public?"

"After Sayori and I get rid of our powers." Tridon answered, "So how's Erica?"

"She's stable." Natsuki responded, "She'll make a full recovery."

"That's good."

"So we heard that Lola will be getting rid of her powers too." Yuri added, "Were you able to forgive her?"

"Forgive is a stretch. I want her to earn that trust again. I'll give her time to do that."

"So how does this process work?" Sayori wondered, "I'm kinda scared. What if it doesn't work."

"Then we die." Sayori gripped Tridon's shoulder as he said this, "Right." Tridon grabbed a hold of her hand and said, "Sorry about that dude."

"I'm more worried about you." Sayori added, "She said you're a special case."

"I get told that a lot."

"It's your incomplete power. You know. How your power uses a lot of your energy?"

"Yeah." Tridon slowly agreed, "But this is our only chance to finally live the last bit of our high school life normally."

"Do we want that?" Monika asked, "I mean, I know it'll be great since the two of you won't be enigmas anymore, but our adventures won't be a thing."

"Well," Tridon started, "once we leave, the literature will disband. The only thing that made that club fun were the adventures we went on. Once we graduate, any new club members would probably send it to the ground."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying Tridon?" Yuri murmured, "Are you saying-."

"I'm saying we should disband the club while we have the chance." The girls stopped and stared at Tridon, "In the end, we make that club. I don't wanna say this, but I make that club. After I lose my powers, we won't do much. I think if we just spend that after school time hanging out with one another, then I think that would fair better. Besides, I'm going to Lingston for athletics. Not academics."

Sayori stiffened up and asked, "So does this mean after all this is said and done-."

"Yes," Tridon interrupted, "you're gonna buckle down and study to get into Lingston. Mid-terms are next week."

"Oh man..."

"Disbanding the club would give us more studying time." Monika muttered, "Even after dealing with all of this."

"It sucks that we would disband the club, but we all still have each other." Tridon turned around and smiled at the girls, "Right?"

They were rather shocked to see him smile so warmly at them. Despite Tridon still acting the same as he was still different. The girls could hear it in his tone. He felt lighter. Like a large amount of weight was finally off of his shoulders. They smiled brightly back and nodded.

* * *

Moments later, Tridon, Sayori, and Lola laid on separate operating tables. Helmets were placed on their heads that were connected to a large console. Tiffany walked around writing on her clipboard while the others watched from outside the room from a one-way window.

"This will most likely hurt." Tiffany commented, "But after this, none of you will be enigmas."

"You ready best friend?" Tridon asked.

"You bet best friend." Sayori responded.

The two of grasped each others hands and waited for it to happen.

* * *

An hour passed and the girls waited to see the 3 of them sit up. Sayori and Lola sat up and they were happy. However, they noticed Tridon not sit up. Their hearts dropped for a second until they saw his hand rise and take a hold of Sayori's who hugged him.

He stood up and looked at the ceiling and snapped. Nothing happen. He snapped again and again and again. Tridon fell to his knees and he fell to the ground while Sayori hugged him. The both of them crying in relief.

"His powers are gone." Chelsea commented, "They're really gone."

"Now he doesn't have to live in obscurity." Yuri added, "He can do sports again without having to worry about being discriminated against for being an enigma."

"He can live normally." Natsuki teared up and pressed her face on the glass, "We can hangout normally again."

"Things will finally be normal again." Monika finalized while tearing up herself.


	51. The Beginning Of Normal Days

Tridon walked up to the school alone. He wanted to enter the school alone as people hadn't seen him in the last month and a half. Same with the girls. He was nervous. Would people question his absence. He had been turning his work through Tiffany, so he hasn't lost his spot in the school rankings.

However, he was still nervous. The government was paid off to keep his identity in the raid on Robert's building. However, there were still people there. He's afraid for the girls. Tridon gripped his bookbag and slowly walked into the front yard of the school.

"Tridon!" A student called out, "It's been a while."

Tridon waved to them and continued on inside where he was greeted by many other students. Tridon was confused. He had never thought that the students would be so welcoming on his return to school. Yeah he was number 1, but he was never popular.

Tridon arrived at his first period class. He looked inside to see Monika and Natsuki surrounded by other students. Tridon leaned on the wall outside and took some deep breaths.

"Hello Mr. Pierce." Tridon looked up to see the principal, Ms. White, standing in front of him, "It's good to see that you've returned to school now."

"I'm still nervous."

"I would expect that. You had to fight in a mini-war. A young one like you shouldn't go through that."

"I'm not that young Ms. White."

"But you're still in high school. A senior at that. The number 1 in the class. This must've been stressful for you."

"Not about the situation. I've been worried about the girls. They've never dealt with something like that. I've dealt with it my whole life and I've prepared for it. Not them."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't know."

"Well," Ms. White looked inside the classroom and then to Tridon, "I'm here when you need to talk to someone. But you should get in there now. Late bell is about to go off."

"Alright." Tridon stepped into the room and once the students saw him, they hounded him, "Whoa." It was hard for him to understand everyone since they spoke at the same time, but he could get the idea.

He looked over at Monika and Natsuki who were laughing and smiling at him. He smiled too and laughed nervously while scratching his head.

* * *

Later that school day during free time, Tridon walked aimlessly and noticed Sayori and the others waving to him. He started to walk to them, but stopped when he saw the Athletics Director of Lingston, Jayson House.

"Hi there Mr. Pierce," he started, "it's good to see you back in school."

"Y-Yeah."

"Well, I know you haven't played since middle school and I've been looking to see how you play. Coach Johnson would like some film on how you handle the ball in a real-game situation."

"How do I do that?"

"There's a spring league starting the week of your spring break. It'll span over the next month and a half."

"A spring league." Tridon smiled and nodded, "Yeah. I'd be down for that."

"Tryouts are after school today downtown. You'd be signing up for the senior tackle league. I think you'd do well. It'll be just like Pop Warner."

"Alright. I'll think I'll do fine too."

"I'll be watching and capturing game film of you to send to Coach Johnson. Then we'll see about getting you on the team."

"Thanks Mr. House."

"No problem."

"Oh Mr. House."

"Yeah?"

"Where is it exactly?"

"At the sportsplex downtown. You can't miss it. There'll be quite a few kids your age and younger there."

"Sweet." Tridon waved him off and walked over to the girls, "You 4 mind coming with me to the sportsplex later?"

"Why?"

"I'm trying out for this football spring league and I'd like if you girls were there to support me."

"I've heard about this." Chelsea commented, "It's a spring league just for fun. Kinda like Pop Warner."

"Since I want to get back into football, I need to get back into the game. So why not join this spring league."

"So you want us to support you at these tryouts?"

"Yeah. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Well, we can do it."

"Alright. It's after school. I'll c'ya girls then. I gotta psych myself up for it."

* * *

Later that day, the girls met up with Tridon in front of the sportsplex where he stood outside in his workout attire. With his gym bag at his side, he paced around psyching himself up.

"You'll do fine bud." Sayori reassured Tridon by shaking him, "You killed it when you played. It's only been a few years."

"5 years, 22 days, and 8 months."

"Oh..."

"But haven't you been practicing?" Yuri wondered, "Since last year right?"

"That was one of the lies I told. I've been practicing immediately after I got kicked from the team I was on."

"So you're more than ready." Natsuki pushed Tridon inside the sportsplex and continued doing so until they got to the locker room, "You are ready!" She gave him one last push and he stumbled into the locker room and a loud crash was heard, "Oops. Sorry!"

"So where do we go?" Chelsea asked.

"I guess the stands." Sayori answered, "I think this'll be done at 7 maybe? Let's go!"

* * *

A few moments later, the girls watched the players walking onto the field. It took a minute before Tridon walked out onto the field.

"There." Monika pointed out, "He's looking good." Monika cooed.

"I'm assuming they're gonna run basic drills and stuff." Sayori commented, "Just to see how they would fare and maybe for the coaches to figure out who's gonna go where."

"This particular league's tryouts," Chelsea started, "works like the NFL combine. Just at a quicker pace. They work on basic drills to see where they would belong. A coach either comes up to you while playing or calls you the day after to say if you've made their team."

"What about players that don't get chosen?"

"They still have a chance to get chosen, but they'll probably get limited playing time."

"So what are Tridon's chances of playing as a starter?"

"Depending on if they still believe he still attains his skill or not. His chances are probably very, very slim."

A coach blew a whistle to make earn the players' attention, "Alright!" A coach shouted, "I need quarterbacks here, running backs here..." The coach ordered players of certain positions to certain coaches to begin tryouts.

Ironically, Tridon's coach was actually someone named Coach Johnson, but not the same Coach Johnson that's at Lingston. It was actually his brother, a recently retired NFL quarterback. Tridon recognize him since he retired last year. He wasn't a prominent quarterback and served mostly as a backup, but he knows how an NFL team works.

"Alright," Coach Johnson started, "first, we'll run the 40 yard dash. One run per player." Coach Johnson looked at Tridon and said, "Maybe Pierce can do the first run."

"Uh." Tridon steppe up and inhaled deeply, "I don't know coach."

"Oh come on. I know you'll do fine."

"Alright." Tridon started at the 10 yard line and took some deep breaths. He got ready looked around to find the girls. He found them and waved to them. Tridon psyched himself up and readied up.

He stared forward and waited for the go. When the coach shouted go, he sprinted forward. Everyone watched at how fast he went and was more surprised when he past the 50 yard line. He slowed down and looked at Coach Johnson who had a big smile on his face.

"4.3 even!" He shouted, "Nice job."

"Is that fast?" Yuri wondered.

"Normally a quaterback would run a 4.9 I believe." Sayori answered, "Tridon ran a time similar to that of elusive running backs and speedy wide receivers."

"Interesting." Monika nodded, "Who's the fastest?"

"Ever since they started electronically recording times, the fastest has been 4.22 by wide receiver John Ross III who was actually drafted in the first round of the draft. However he hasn't done much. Namely his rookie season where he barely played due to injury."

"That shouldn't happen to Tridon, right?"

"Probably not." Sayori clicked her tongue and said, "I don't want to be negative, but due to Tridon's lack of play time since middle school, he'll probably be 2nd or 3rd string. A backup or a contingency plan quarterback."

"That kinda blows." Natsuki pouted, "He played well in middle school from what he's told us."

"Yeah, but that was middle school." Chelsea added, "He hasn't played an official game in over 5 years. He'll have to work really hard during practice in order work up to the get the starting spot on a team."

"Either that or someone gets injured." Yuri interrupted, "But the chances of that are slim to none."

* * *

Time passed and the girls watched Tridon run throwing drills with receivers and there moments where he shined, but it was not on throwing drills. It was on speed and agility drills. He was average at throwing, but he was the fastest player there and the most agile there.

It didn't stop there. Out of players his size, he had the best bench press. He got 31 reps on the 225 pound bench press. Despite this, he was frustrated. He was only athletic and couldn't get throwing down.

Once some players were being picked up by coaches, Tridon was left on his own with other quarterbacks. Tridon sighed and walked over to the stands where the girls were. He waved them over to him and waited.

"What's wrong Tridon?" Sayori asked, "You're doing well."

"In the physical areas. But I'm not throwing at all like I used to. I'm definitely ending up as a backup or utility player."

"That won't get you anywhere in college." Sayori groaned.

"It might." Chelsea interrupted, "One particular player in the NFL is a utility player. They receive, run the ball, block, and even tackled on special teams."

"Taysom Hill..." Tridon muttered, "The swiss army knife of the NFL."

"You'll get onto a team Tridon." Monika reassured Tridon and said, "Everyone has to get a spot. Just prove it to them during practices and become a starter."

"I guess."

* * *

Once everything was situated, everyone settled in Tridon's house while he paced around. The girls watched him while he phone sat on the coffee table.

"Tridon," Natsuki started, "chill out. You're just gonna pass out from stress if you keep acting like that."

"I'm not gonna- oh here we go." Tridon collapsed behind the couch .

"He'll be fine." Sayori commented.

* * *

Just a few moments later, Tridon's phone started ringing. Tridon popped his head from behind the couch and stared at his phone. He leaped from the bed and crashed onto his coffee table. He grabbed his phone and continued staring at it.

"Answer it!" The girls yell in unsion.

Tridon quickly answered and asked, "Hello?"

"Hi," it was Coach Johnson, "is this Tridon Pierce?"

"Yes sir, it is."

"Well, I hope you're looking forward to playing for the West Side Lightning. Practices start tomorrow at 3:30. You'll be competing for the starting QB spot for the season. Once you arrive at practice, you'll be receiving the game schedule and the playbook."

"Yes sir." Tridon responded, "I'll be there."

"Alright. I'll see you at practice tomorrow."

After the coach hung up, Tridon grew a large smile on his face and stood up. He ran towards his backyard and jumped onto his trampoline. He tore his shirt off and started doing flips.

The girls followed him as he gleefully flipped and jumped on his trampoline. They smiled at him acting like a kid and began to think that all the trouble they went through the last few months was worth it to see him like this.

"Leave some room for me!" Sayori jumped onto the trampoline and jumped with him, "Whoo-hoo!"

This was what they fought for so many months. Tridon's freedom from Robert and being an enigma. Tridon finally being able to live his life is something the girls have been wanting since they met him. Now he finally gets to live his life without any worry.


	52. Will We Be The Same? (Filler)

Tridon jogged down his street until he got back to his house huffing and puffing slightly, which was odd to him. He wiped his forehead with a towel and noticed Sayori sitting outside her house. He wrapped the towel around his neck and walked over to her.

"Hey Sayori." Tridon greeted, "Why the long face?" Tridon sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her, "What's got you sad?"

"It's the fact that you don't have your powers. Yeah I'm happy about it, but we can't go on adventures anymore. I was really hoping we could have fun for Spring Break this week."

"Who said we couldn't have fun?" Tridon tightened his grip around Sayori and laughed, "We always find a way to have fun. You know that. We wouldn't be best friends if we didn't."

"I guess." Sayori looked up at Tridon and blushed a little, _"Calm down Sayori. You guys are best friends. A relationship wouldn't work. Being best friends is better. I think..."_

"Hey," Tridon started, "you wanna go out today?"

"H-Huh?"

"First day of Spring Break usually calls for us having fun. So why don't we go have some fun? I heard about that trampoline park opened up recently. Why don't we go tear it up there? I'd like to actually see if you still retain your training from the past month."

"We stopped training a week ago."

"Still. A week can mean a lot more than you think."

"Okay."

"I'll go get freshened up and I'll meet you back out here."

"A-Alright." Sayori watched Tridon walk off back to his house and she ran back inside. She covered her face to hide her blush and rolled around on the floor, "A date!" She shouted.

* * *

An hour later, Tridon knocked on her door and waited for a short second. Sayori quickly opened the door and revealed herself to Tridon who was rather confused.

"Sayori..." Tridon looked Sayori up and down. She wore a pink blouse with a loose white skirt that fell just above her knees. She also wore a knitted red open sweater. She wore flatfoot shoes and leggings, "you do know we're going to a trampoline park, right?"

"Uh..."

"An attire like that would only prove to be problematic. Especially while jumping with a skirt on. Definitely one that loose."

"I-I..."

"Maybe you can quick change while I wait in your living room."

"Y-Yeah. Sure."

Tridon waited in Sayori's living room while looking around. He saw several pictures of them in her house. He was confused yet happy to see this many pictures. She didn't have this many pictures before. It was then his eyes laid on the scrapbook he made for her on their friendship anniversary last year.

He grabbed it and looked through it. He flipped through and paused when he stopped on the last few pages. They were of recent pictures. From last semester and over the last month in the hideout. Tridon sat down with the scrapbook and flipped through the most recent pictures taken just a few weeks ago.

He hadn't even known that Sayori was taking pictures during their stay in Tiffany's hideout. There were moments during their training she caught, some of the fun moments in the hideout, and even some of the more brutal moments. Brutal as in their training.

However, he noticed that a lot of the pictures turned into pictures consisting of only him. No context on any of the pictures. Just him.

Sayori started to walk downstairs and he slid the book under the couch cushions so that she couldn't see him flipping through it.

"Alright, I'm ready." Sayori said while sporting short-shorts and tank top underneath a hoodie. She held a duffel bag that held the clothes she had on before, "I have my other clothes in here after we jump."

"A-Alright." Tridon stood up and nodded, "Let's get to jumping."

* * *

The drive to the trampoline park was silent and awkward. Neither could understand why. Tridon loves his best friend. He knows that, but he's starting to feel something else.

As for Sayori, she doesn't know how she should feel about her best friend. She loves him yes, but would an intimate relationship ruin the one that they have now.

Sayori looked at Tridon and thought about how it would be as his girlfriend. Would things change? Could they still goof off like they usually do? They would be more intimate. Holding each other. Kissing. Cuddling. Kissing. Going out. Kissing!

Sayori shook her head slightly and sighed. She looked at Tridon who had his eyes glued to the road.

She smiled and said to herself, "Maybe a life like that wouldn't be so bad..."

* * *

Once they arrived at the park, they were greeted by Jen who had just arrived. She waved to them and they walked up to her.

"What are you doing here Jen?"

"Well, with Robert finally gone, I can finally take those vacation days I've earned from the Captain."

"How's Tiff by the way?" Tridon asked.

"She's preparing for retirement after this whole Robert fiasco. Plus, she's technically on reserve since you aren't an enigma anymore. So she's just filing those retirement papers. She's hoping to be retired once all of you graduate."

"That would be a quite the day to celebrate, huh?"

"Yup, but now I'm just here to jump around."

"Care to join us?" Tridon casually asked making Sayori frown at him.

"Sure thing. It was going to be rather boring going here by myself anyway."

"Sweet. Let's go."

Sayori thought to herself how Tridon presented himself to others, specifically girls, _"He was always open to hang out with people. He wanted to make friends, but that was difficult because of his status as an enigma. He couldn't hide it. He was hoping to find that one person who could bear with his enigma status. That one person was at first me. I was the one person who bared the burden of his enigma status. That of course changed when he joined the club. I'm grateful for that, but do I feel shoved to the side because of this?"_

"Hey Sayori," Tridon called out while she was staring off into space, "wanna see who can get out of the foam pit the fastest? My money's on me of course."

"U-Uh, sure."

Tridon and Sayori stood at the ledge that overlooked the foam pit. Jen stood at the base of it with her phone in hand.

"Alright. Fastest time wins." Jen called out, "Ready? Go!"

Tridon tackled Sayori into the pit and laughed while shuffling around in the foam pit. Sayori watched Tridon struggle and couldn't help but laugh at him. She tried to get out too, but she struggled just as much.

They eventually lunged out of the pit to where Jen stared at them in confusion. They stared as she shrugged her shoulders.

"You both win?"

"That's lame." The two of them looked at each other and laughed.

 _"We can still be the same."_ Sayori said to herself, _"I can't believe I thought that we would be any different if our relationship were to change. Right now, his choice doesn't matter. Our friendship does. I just have to wait for his answer. An answer that'll surely set his future into motion."_


	53. Regretting My Decision

Tridon walked around downtown while kicking a can. He exhaled and kicked the can up and into a trashcan. He backed onto a wall and took out his phone.

It was spring break and he was expecting to go on adventures with his friends. But everything that had happened last month with his final stand with Robert; he wanted to get rid of his powers for good. Now he's learning that maybe it wasn't so great to jump the gun so quickly on that decision probably was the wrong choice.

A police car drove up to him and whistled to him. Tridon looked at him as he pointed above his head. Tridon looked up and noticed the 'No Loitering' sign. He nodded and continued on. He walked down the sidewalk while the police tailed him.

"Why are you following me?" Tridon mumbled to himself.

"Hey!" The police car pulled up and the officer inside called out to him, "Aren't you that kid Tiffany Warren is suppose to look after?"

"Yeah?"

"So you're the kid that finally got Robert locked up. Whoo!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You and your friends took on Robert and finally brought him to justice, right?"

"Yeah. We did."

"Kid, we've been trying to find way to bring him down for years, but he just kept paying us out. We gotta thank you some how."

"No thanks necessary. I had my own vendetta against that man to do what I did."

"Well, we have to repay you somehow. Hop in kid."

"Uh..."

"Come on. I'm a cop. I just wanna take you on a ride along."

"But I don't plan on becoming a cop."

"Captain Warren didn't expect to become an agent, but look at her."

"Wait what?"

"Hey kid," the cop chuckled and said, "come on and I'll tell you."

"I'm still hesitant."

"Tridon?" Tiffany called out and noticed the police officer, "Officer Warren..."

"Hey sis."

"Wait what?" Tridon looked at the two and pointed at them, "Th-That's your sister?"

"Yup. Big sis Tiff."

"Don't call me that Officer Warren."

"Ah. Always a stick in the mud."

"Okay. Now I gotta hear your past stories on her." Tridon got in the car with Tiffany sighing.

"I gotta go too. He's technically still under my care." Tiffany sat next to Tridon in the back seat who looked rather peeved, "Let's get going Officer Warren."

"Well," Officer Warren started the car up again and drove off, "my sister was always one for authority. She never disrespected anyone and always listened to those above her. She was a straight A student, on the student council, and was a gifted athlete."

"That sounds about right." Tridon nodded making Tiffany pinch his ear, "Ah..."

"Anyway, but she was always caring of those she deemed weak or unable to protect themselves."

"But I'm not weak. I'm beyond weak."

"Which is why you're the one special case. When she told me she would start looking after you so early into her FBI career, I thought it was weird. The older you got, the more I understood. I thought it was good that she was looking after you past her own boundaries."

"How was she before she met me?"

"Cold." He answered.

Tridon looked at Tiffany to see if she would retaliate, but she did nothing. Tridon looked at her brother who looked at her through his rearview.

"She often very cold towards others which made her unfavored by many of the people she worked with where she was. She was ostracized by her peers because of how she acted. So much so that rumors spread about her. Believe it or not, she got your case because of these rumors."

"Those rumors were...?"

"I really don't want to talk about it unless sis would be okay with it."

"It's fine." Tiffany answered, "Those rumors were nearly 20 years ago."

"Well, people spread rumors like pinning her failures on others, falsifying reports to make her look better, or sleeping with the-."

"Nah." Tridon stopped him and said, "I get it."

"The reason I'm glad she was given your case was because she was able to change and forget about all of that. You helped her change Tridon."

"Me?"

"Yes. A lot more than you think."

"Wow. Well, she's changed me too and not just the whole enigma thing. It was how I presented myself to others and how I could go to her and vent if I needed to when I was younger. She was like a second big sister to me."

"Despite her and I being polar opposites, I'm always glad that she was there to help me grow. I might not be an agent like her, but I'm still a police officer and I love this job."

"Wow Tiff," Tridon laughed, "you seem to inexplicably change people's lives."

"Oh hush up." Tiffany blushed and crossed her arms.

"I am grateful." Tridon added, "But not having my powers kinda makes life boring. I'm missing that excitement."

"All officers, we have a 10-54 on Main Street."

"Dead body?" Tridon muttered, "How nice."

"This is a ride along, so it'll be good 'excitement' for you."

"I don't know Officer Warren." Tiffany sounded hesitant about letting Tridon go with them on this call, "That fight with Robert was only last week."

"Oh come on sis. The kid wants to. So I say let 'em."

"Are you sure you want to come Tridon?" Tiffany worriedly asked, "You don't have to."

"I'm going Tiff."

"Oh alright, but you don't leave my side."

"Okay Mom."

"I thought I was your sister."

"I'm starting to think that you're too old to be a sister. A mom would suffice better."

* * *

A few moments later, Tridon sat on the hood while Tiffany and her brother investigated the crime scene. Tridon sighed and watched the process. However, he noticed something odd. While observing, he noticed a man in the background standing off on his own and watching the ordeal. Tridon walked forward and past everyone.

"Tridon," Tiffany called out, "what are you doing?"

The man noticed Tridon staring at him and took off, "It's him!" Tridon shouted as he gave chase.

"Tridon!" Tiffany shouted, but it was too late. Tridon was far gone.

"Well, we might as well follow him."

"Yeah. I have a GPS tracker on him. Let's go." The both of them got in the police car and followed Tridon on the chase.

Tridon quickly caught up to the man, but the man put the pedal to the metal and picked up inhuman speeds.

"The hell?" Tridon stopped and listened, "An enigma?" Tridon heard a light shuffle and he quickly dodged an incoming punch from behind, but was kicked into a pile of trash. He looked up to see 4 people standing over him.

He picked up some trash and threw it at them and tried to fight back. However, he felt that he was weaker than usual. His strikes didn't hit like before and he felt himself grow fatigued faster than usual.

This fatigue caused him to lower his guard and be thrown into a wall. He groaned and spat out some blood. This shocked him as he remembered his body being a lot sturdier. He couldn't regather his bearings before he was kicked in his gut followed by several stomps by the attacking people.

"Hey!" Officer Warren shouted while aiming his gun.

They looked at him and ran off at inhuman speeds. Tiffany ran over to check on Tridon while Officer Warren kept his gun drawn.

"Tridon." Tiffany called out, "He's out cold."

"Damn it." Officer Warren holstered his gun and walked over to Tridon, but he was shoved by Tiffany, "Sis?"

"I-I'm sorry..." Tiffany stared at her hands and then to her brother, "I'm just... on edge right now."

"Remember, I'm here to help. We can't look at him here. We gotta bring him somewhere."

"You bring him to the car. I'll contact his friends." Tiffany waited for her brother to bring Tridon to the car before calling Sayori. She waited until she picked up and said, "Sayori, I need you and the girls to be at Tridon's house as soon as possible."

"Why? What happened?"

"I'll explain when we're all at his house."

"A-Alright. I'll get right on it."

* * *

The girls waited at Tridon's house and noticed the police car ride up. Officer Warren offered Tridon his shoulder and led him inside while Tiffany lagged behind.

"What happened?"

"Inside girls." Tiffany ushered them in while they watched Tridon grab his head in pain, "I didn't want this to happen..."

"What happened Tiff?" Sayori sternly asked.

"We were having a ride along with my brother." Tiffany pointed to her brother who waved at them, "We had a call about a dead body and Tridon noticed someone watching everything and gave chase. We lost him for that bit, but we found him being beaten by a group of people who ran off quickly. Really quickly."

"How many?" Yuri asked, "Tridon usually never has problem fighting more than one person."

"He was being beaten by 4 people."

"That's odd." Monika mumbled, "He's fought way more than 4 people over this last month and a half. How come he was overpowered so easily."

"Tiff," Tridon groaned as he stood up and asked, "what the hell happened to me?"

"Huh?"

"Ever since I lost my powers, I've been more fatigued, weaker, and a lot less aware. What the hell happened?" Tridon growled and fell back onto the couch, "4 people like that could never over power me when I wasn't an enigma. Was all my athleticism from my power? Am I nothing now that it's gone?"

"Can that happen Tiff?" Chelsea wondered, "Can he lose all that just by taking his power away?"

Tiffany was hesitant, but answered saying, "The machine didn't just take away his power. It took out the DNA that made him an enigma. This included his power, stamina, endurance... everything. He lost it all when the machine took his EDNA out of him. Now, he's just a normal person."

"So all that athleticism was stemmed from his DNA as an enigma?" Natsuki asked.

"That's right."

"So my life has basically become a lie now that I've lost my power." Tridon tried to sit up, but fell immediately back down, "I knew something was off when I grew fatigued fighting them and I coughed up blood just by being thrown into a wall. Is this who I really am? A fragile boy?"

"Tridon, no." Tiffany sat next to him and said, "You're still in there. You're not handicapped by your powers anymore. You can be who you always were."

"But..."

"Shush." Tiffany looked at the girls and asked, "Can I talk to him for a moment please? You lot can wait in his room."

"Alright."

"I'll get going too." Her brother added, "Gotta report this to the Chief."

* * *

Once everyone was gone, Tiffany looked at Tridon who remained quiet. She didn't know what to ask first. She wanted to tell him quite a bit, but couldn't find the proper words.

"Was that how I always was as an enigma? Someone with boosted athleticism and endurance? Was that how I was always able to bounce back from everything thrown at me? Whether it be being slammed by the girls or taking a bullet for them. Tiff, I'm regretting my decision."

"Don't say that." Tiffany slowly embraced Tridon and said, "You made the right choice to live a normal life. You're no different now than when you were an enigma. No different."

"But-."

"Listen to me." Tiffany firmly grabbed Tridon's shoulders and stared into his eyes, "If I've really seen what you're capable of when your at your lowest, then I know you can still bounce back from this and work your way to your highest. Remember, the girls are there for you. I'm here for you. Do you understand?"

"I..." Tridon fell silent and eventually said, "I do. I understand Tiff."

"Good. Now smile."

"Huh?"

"Smile. You're never been handsome when you're down like that. Smile for me Tridon."

"I don't know..."

"Tridon," Tiffany cupped his face and said, "smile."

"With how the current situation is, it's kinda hard to smile. At that point, I'd just be faking and forcing a smile."

"Well," Tiffany backed up and sighed, "it's good to know your still a smartass."

"Thanks again Tiff." Tridon grew a small smile to which Tiff smiled back at.

"No problem."

The girls were watching from the stairs and glared at the two. Chelsea watched them glaring and shook her head.

"You do know that she's so much older than him?" Chelsea stated.

"You can never rule out the mature women." Natsuki commented, "You can never rule them out."

"Especially one that's known him as long as Sayori has." Monika commented.

"I never thought something was brewing between them." Sayori added.

"And it was under our noses this whole time." Yuri growled.

"Stop spying on us!" Both Tridon and Tiffany call out.

"No!"


	54. Setting The Stage!

Tridon and Sayori stood sat outside the principal's office with Sayori being visibly afraid.

"Sayori, we're not in trouble."

"What makes you think that Tridon?!" Sayori grabbed Tridon's collar and said, "She probably found out I threw that stinkbomb in the girl's locker room!"

"That was you? Nice."

"Thanks."

"Ah, Tridon, Sayori," Ms. White walked out and greeted the two, "I have a request."

"Okay?" Tridon questioned, "And that request is?"

"Our planner for the Senior Prom needed to pull out for personal reasons and there aren't any other planners for a country mile because it's prom season."

"So you want us to plan it?" Tridon asked.

"I know it's a lot, but there's no other choice. Plus, it is your guys' Senior Prom. Plus, your friends can help."

"I guess." Tridon sighed and looked at Sayori before saying, "Also, she's the one that threw stinkbomb in the girl's locker room."

"Tridon!" Sayori shouted.

"Oh I knew that. I thought it was hilarious ."

"Now let's go before she finds out about the other things you've done." Tridon dragged Sayori out of the room.

* * *

Moments later, the group sat in a classroom trying to figure out how to go about planning for their senior prom.

"Okay," Tridon started, "before we even think about how we're going to plan it, we have to figure out where we're going to have it."

"We could always use the school gym." Yuri offered, "It's where it's been held before."

"True, but I kinda want it somewhere else this year."

"Oh!" Sayori stood up and said, "What about the hideout?!"

"I don't think that's a good idea Sayori." Chelsea commented, "Has it even been repaired?

"Tiff said it's in the works." She answered, "I'm sure it should be good to go in two weeks."

"I don't know." Monika retorted, "The area is kinda out there. I don't think people would willingly go there."

"Yeah, but put a pin in that." Tridon clicked his tongue and said, "What about that abandoned party hall downtown?"

"Hm." Yuri wondered, "I thought that wasn't open to the public."

"Well, the police department owes me a favor for putting Robert away, so I'm using that to my advantage."

"We're going to have to clean it up real good to use it." Natsuki commented, "But I like the idea."

"I do too." Monika agreed.

"Yeah." Sayori nodded, "It's probably more doable than the hideout, but we'll need to split into teams. After we clean, we'll need to split up."

"Hm." Tridon sighed and thought to himself, "We'll need a group to find to go about finding a DJ. Then we'll need decorations, refreshments, and other things. Hm."

"Chelsea and I can work on food and refreshments." Natsuki offered, "That'll be easy."

"I can do senior prom photos." Yuri offered, "I think it'll be a good end of year project."

"Alright." Tridon nodded, "I can help with that and maybe the lighting. My mom has a few set of radios we can use to communicate with each other before, during, and after the prom."

"Maybe I can help with the lighting too." Monika offered, "I think we can also get help from Jen since she did a good job with decorations before."

"True." Natsuki and Yuri agreed.

"Alright, give her a call and maybe call on Tiff for some security detail. I'll make a call to her brother about letting us use that place in the first place. Sayori, you go about spreading the word and finding us a DJ."

"You got it bud!"

"Alright. First we clean it."

* * *

Later that day, the group stared in shock at the state of the building. Officer Warren walked up behind them with his flashlight and sighed.

"Yup. This thing has been out of commission for over 30 years. The last people to use it that long ago left it like this and it's just been left to rot."

"Nice." Tridon commented, "We're gonna need to do a lot."

"Some of the officers at the station will offer whatever help they can. Any requests?"

"Maybe some new windows," he answered, "because there's no way these current windows are safe."

"Got it. Just call me when you need more things."

"Yup." Tridon nodded as Officer Warren left them to the cleaning, "Alright girls. We have 2 weeks to get this party hall into top shape for a senior prom!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

After cleaning for a small time, Tridon carried some of garbage bags outside. Once he threw them into the dumpster. He paused and turned around. He looked around for a minute and pretended to walk off.

He waited for a short moment before saying, "I know you're there Erica."

"I should've known you heard me." Erica stepped out from the nearby bushes and looked around, "So you're planning the senior prom."

"Yeah. What of it?"

"I know I haven't been trustworthy over the last few years." Erica stated, "I'm last person you would agree to this with."

"You want to come?"

"Haha." Erica chuckled and scratched the back of her head, "I guess it was pretty obvious."

"I don't know how the girls would react. Namely Sayori. I don't even know how to feel. You did help us bring Robert down, but your past actions..."

"I need to atone for them I know. I just haven't been able to feel how a prom could feel. You know the reasons."

"You kinda already know how Sayori and I feel about proms and dances. We're using this as an excuse to not be part of the dance."

"So I'm guessing you wouldn't be so sure as to let me be part of the senior prom?"

"I would take that up with Sayori. She's very pissed about everything you've put me and everyone else through."

"What about you?"

Tridon turned to walk away and said, "Whatever my best friend's judgement is, I'll trust it." And with that, he walked away.

* * *

Later that week, Tridon walked around with a clipboard while checking the flooring of the party hall. He scrunched his face and wrote on the clipboard. He turned around and walked into Monika.

"Hey Monika. What's up?"

"Come on." Monika dragged Tridon away towards the front of the party hall where several lights stood ready to be placed around the party hall, "My mom was able to grab some of these from a building she used to work at. She had some people work on them to have RGB lights. They're perfect!"

"Cool. Who's going to hang some of them up?"

"You could snap-."

"No powers Monika."

"Oh. Right."

"We'll see if Officer Warren can get some people from the police department to help there. My mom still needs to bring the radios so we can prepare for the actual dance."

"Don't you think this dance will be amazing?" Monika asked, "I'm going to where such a beautiful dress that I hope is to your liking."

"Monika, you know Sayori and I hate proms and stuff."

"Yeah, but this is senior prom Tridon. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"I don't know Monika."

"How about this. You make your choice that night."

"H-Huh?"

"It's the perfect time to make the choice!" Monika twirled around and stared at the sky, "You got the night where couples go to dance and spend time together. So it's the perfect place to finally make your choice!"

"That's just..."

"Come on Tridon." Monika pleaded, "It's the perfect scenario."

Tridon stared at Monika, who's eyes were glistening. He sighed and said, "Alright. I'll have to go look for something to wear that day."

"Yay!" Monika cheered.

Tridon smiled at Monika jumping around and cheering.

* * *

2 days later, Tridon directed traffic around the party hall as people brought in decorations and the lights both Monika and Jen brought. He messed around on his clipboard before turning on his radio.

"Sayori, do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear bud."

"Alright, so how are we doing entertainment?"

"It's kinda hard. Every single DJ is at every other senior prom. It's kinda difficult. More so since this is all last minute."

"Right..."

"I'm tryin' my best though best friend. How's the party hall looking?"

"Most of the decorations are set, but the lights might take most of the week. This'll be stretching it."

"Do you think Ms. White will let us push the prom back?"

"No. The week after are finals and the week after that is graduation. There's no way she'll push it back another week."

"Ah man."

"We've really been put on the spot."

"Yeah, but we can do it. I know we can. We've been through worse."

"True." Tridon laughed, "Well, I'm gonna continue directing traffic and such. Keep up your good work best friend."

"Same to you best friend."

Tridon looked up and shouted, "No! The tables should be on the right of the party hall. Not the middle. What kinda proms did you people have when you were kids?!"

Sayori laughed as he heard Tridon shouting orders and sighed. She sat in the same cafe she was at just a few months ago with Eric. She clicked through on her laptop and groaned.

"Is something wrong dear?" Sayori turned around to see an older woman that looked liked her.

"Mom?" Sayori was shocked to see her mom. She normally doesn't see her mom unless she's on school breaks or something. She eventually answered saying, "It's nothing big mom." Sayori sighed and closed her laptop, "It's just hard finding a DJ to be at our senior prom. So it's just difficult."

"I know you don't want to even think about it, but what about Eric?"

"No mom!" Sayori quickly stood up and added, "I will never talk to that jerk again."

"But you just need to get to his cousin. Eric's cousin is a DJ."

"Mom, you do remember what Eric put Tridon through, right? Not to mention he insulted me behind my back, or at least tried to anyway."

"I know and I haven't forgiven him for that, but he's your only hope for getting a DJ for your prom. I know that this prom will mean a lot to you. Because I know this is your chance to finally win Tridon over."

"M-Mom..."

"It's no use denying it sweetheart. You love your best friend. You want him to choose you. I've said it before. I would love to have Tridon as a son-in-law."

Sayori fell silent and looked at her mom who beamed a bright smile at her. Sayori had a small smile creep on her face and sighed.

"I'll make this ill-fated call..."

"Not needed." A familiar voice interrupted.

Sayori looked past her mother and saw Eric standing there. Her eyes widened as chill was sent down her both her spine and simultaneously, Tridon.

"Something wrong Tridon?" Monika asked while bringing in some plants, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I might as well have. I don't have a good feeling right now."

Sayori sat across from Eric with a frown. She stared daggers into Eric who was visibly nervous. She looked at her mom beside her who ushered her to speak. She let out a long sigh and looked back to Eric.

"Does your cousin still DJ?"

"She does and she's available for the next few weeks." Eric answered.

"What's this gonna cost ya'?"

"To be honest, I've seen this woman around named Erica."

"Huh?" Sayori seemed confused. She initially thought Eric would try some underhanded scheme as payment for his cousin to DJ for them, but he brought up Erica. She knows Eric doesn't know what happened that day because of Tridon reversing time. So he should only know Erica by voice, "Why are you bringing up Tridon's ex?"

"When I spoke to her, she sounded familiar to someone I knew as a kid. Before I met you."

"That's unlikely. We've known each other since kindergarten. Besides, Erica is a year older than us. That's not possible."

"I don't know. I feel connected to her somehow. I think she's my sister."

"Wait what?"

"Let him talk Sayori dear." Her mom interrupted.

"I was told growing up that I had an older sister that was separated from our family when I was 3 years old I don't know if you've noticed, but our names are similar."

"Anyone with a brain can catch that."

"My parents told me that my older sister's name was Erica. I didn't want to believe it at first, but I used to keep up with her throughout my elementary school years. However, in middle school, I lost contact with her. I think Erica is that same sister I was separated from as a kid."

"I don't know. I don't like Erica. After all she did to Tridon, I just can't see myself going to her for something that might be too good to be true."

"Just let me see her so I can confirm it. Please Sayori. If you can promise me that she'll be at this prom, then I'll tell my cousin to DJ for the prom."

"I..." Sayori paused and said, "I have to consult my best friend!" Sayori ran out of the cafe leaving her mother and Eric alone.

"I hope you're not fibbing with my daughter Eric."

"I don't know how she found out about my past actions and I know my trust for her is nothing but dust in the wind. I just want to know for sure if Erica is my long lost sister."

"You do know her best friend knows people, so I wouldn't try anything."

"I know. I know better than to mess with an enigma."

"You know he's not an enigma now, right?"

"What?"

"That's right."

"Huh..."

Sayori stood outside with her radio and repeated, "Tridon..."

"Yeah bud?"

"I know you felt the disturbance, right?"

"I did. What happened?"

"It's Eric."

"Where is he?!" He roared.

"No wait! Didn't you say Erica walked up to you wanting to attend the prom?"

"Yeah?" Tridon responded still enraged, "What of it?"

"He wants to meet her?"

"What?"

"Tridon, please calm down."

"S-Sorry..."

"He thinks Erica is his sister."

"I smell bs. I don't remember him every talking about a sister."

"Well, you never liked him."

"Sayori..."

"Right, but I do remember him talking about a sibling he talked to everyday. He says that when they spoke the other month, he recognized her voice. Maybe there's a chance."

"I don't know Sayori."

"Tridon, I'm asking you to bring her to the prom so that they can meet."

"But-."

"It's the only way we can get his cousin to DJ for us."

"Gah." Tridon groaned and punched the nearby wall and chipped, "Aw shoot."

"Just do it Tridon. Maybe we can get the both of them out of our hair."

"I-I guess..."

"You tell Erica and I'll tell Eric. Geez, now that I say it, their parents were not original with names. Why couldn't they be like the two of us?"

"Well, yours is a Japanese name. I have no idea what happened between the time my sister was born and when I was born. 'Tridon' is definitely not a common name."

"Anyway, let's get them to the prom."

"Alright."

* * *

That night, Tridon paced around alone in front of the party hall. He stopped and turned around to see Erica standing behind him.

"You called?"

"Let me ask you something." Tridon turned to face and asked, "What do you know about a lost brother?"

"W-Where'd you hear that?" Erica stuttered, so she instantly knew there was no hiding it. She sighed and said, "I thought you hated Eric."

"I do. I didn't meet with him. He met with Sayori for a deal. Is he your brother?"

The two stared at each other and she said, "He is."

"I find it hard to believe you were just separated as kids."

"We were. You know that I lived with my aunt, right?"

"Yeah, but the people that set your marriage with Robert was your birth parents. Why did you have to get separated?"

"It was for all of this."

"Come again?"

"Setting up everything that has happened the last few years."

"What are you talking about?"

"At first, I never understood why I had to live away from my family until I got to middle school. They wanted me to get to you."

"Who is 'they'?"

"I'm assuming Tiffany hasn't told you everything."

"There are things she refuses to tell me."

"Well, I'm leaving it all out there. I'm letting everything out of the bag."

"Tell me then. I have time."

Sayori paced around her bedroom while thinking about the confrontation between Tridon and Erica. She bit her nails while staring out her bedroom window. In Tridon's driveway should be his car, but it was gone. He was gone. He was confronting Erica about Eric.

She noticed a car pulling into his driveway and outstepped Tiffany who walked towards his front door and knocked on it.

"Why is she visiting him this late at night?" Sayori put on a jacket and shoes before heading outside, "Tiff!" She called out, "What are you doing here?"

"I need to see Tridon about something."

"And that is?"

Tiffany blushed and said, "My dress for the prom."

"H-Huh?"

"Look Sayori, I've never been to a prom before, so I would like to experience it for once. What better prom to be at than one that you and Tridon are planning. So I need his opinion on the dress."

"Why not ask me or the other girls?" Tiffany fell silent to her question, making Tiffany blush, "You wanted to have Tridon compliment you, right?"

"W-What?!"

"You do! You like my best friend!"

"S-Sayori!"

"Haha!" Sayori laughed and said, "I never thought you'd be someone to fall in love with him."

"I don't think I see him the same way all of you do. I don't know. Where is he anyway?"

"Eh..."

* * *

Moments later, both Tiffany and Sayori were driving towards the party hall.

"What is wrong with the both of you."

"I don't know, wanting to live our lives normally?"

"Don't you know that those two could be playing with you?"

"Tiff, we're desperate for a DJ right now."

"Desperate to look into two people who tried to tear you and Tridon apart?"

"Tiff," Sayori groaned, "I want this prom to go smoothly so I can spend time with my friend."

"I understand this but I'm still worried."

"I'm worried too Tiff. He's my best friend."

Tridon and Erica sat next to the entrance of the party hall and she explained.

"Your power as an enigma would be sought after for obvious reasons."

"I could get the idea."

"The power to change reality on whim in a literal second. Power like that in the wrong hands would lead to despair. People wanted you specifically. Namely, Tiffany's agency."

"What? Well, that's not hard to believe. The FBI are fickle with enigmas and such."

"No. She doesn't work for the FBI."

"Huh?"

"She works for an agency that specializes in the capture and termination of enigmas."

"Wait what?" Tridon slowly stood up and said, "She looks after me. What lies are coming out of your mouth right now Erica?"

"They're not lies. She was suppose to take you out."

"Don't listen to her!" Tiffany shouted as both her and Sayori ran to them, "She's lying."

"No." Tridon sternly ordered, "Let her talk."

"She was originally ordered to kill you and extract a sample of your DNA to reverse engineer your powers. However, when they found out that she went against their orders, they wanted me to finish what she started."

"So let me get this straight. When she was first given my file, she was suppose to kill me, extract my DNA, and hand it back to her superiors so that they can make my powers? Then when she went against those orders, they wanted you to take up for her which explains why you were separated from Eric."

"That's right."

"Something's not adding up." Tridon commented, "Why did they grab a 3 year old girl."

"To make her into a fighting machine." Tiffany answered, "To make a long story short, she was suppose to be the original Epsilon."

Tridon and Sayori looked at each before looking at the two of them, "So," Tridon started, "did you have the same revelation as Tiff, Erica?"

"I did."

"So they gave the contract to Robert," Tiffany added, "but Robert wanted the powers for himself and bought out that company. He bought the only company responsible for the death of engimas."

"Now that he's gone, enigmas can fight back against the prejudice against them. That explains that enigma attack a week ago." Tridon muttered, "So what now?"

"My brother, Eric, doesn't know this. He wasn't told. I was allowed to talk to him until middle school. That's when my training began. It ended in high school when I was sent to kill you, but I couldn't Tridon. Then Robert forced me to call him to send him to your school."

"Then what you should do is go to Eric and tell him what and why things happened the way they did."

"But-."

"Do it. If you want to attend this prom." Tridon pointed at Tiffany said, "And you. I don't even know how I should feel about you."

"Tridon... I..."

"No." Tridon looked to the side and said, "I need time away from you and just everyone right now. Sayori, take over here for me for a day or two."

"But Tridon."

"Please Sayori. I need to clear my mind." And with that, Tridon walked away.

"Tridon..." Sayori muttered while she watched her friend drive off.


	55. The Choice (TTTG Finale)

Even if Tridon had said that he only needed a few days, he was yet to be seen over a week later. The day of prom came, and he has yet to be seen. Not by his friends, family, or anyone. Sayori remembered back to the previous semester to where something like this happened, but this time, it was worse. Someone he trusted his whole life wasn't what they seemed to be at first.

Sayori realized standing idly by wasn't going to cut it this time. Letting the storm pass by wasn't going to work this time. She wasn't going to back down and let what happened last year happen again.

She looked at his front door and down at the floormat. She chuckled and lifted it to take out a spare key.

"Way too generic." She opened the door and stepped inside. She paused when she saw him sitting in his living room.

He just sat there. Staring into nothing. She knows how he's feeling right then. She knows her best friend. She knows...

"Tridon..."

"Everything has changed for me so much." Tridon interrupted, "I know Tiffany changed for the best, but to know that for a short time, she wanted to kill me. It messes with me. I've trusted my life to her. Now I don't know what to believe."

"You know she just follows orders. Doing what she did to protect you went against those orders. She cares for you Tridon. You know that."

"Do I though? All I know now is that everything isn't always as they seem. What can I trust now? I thought I was done with all this nonsense. This is just showing me that nothing I do can stop any of this."

"Please Tridon," Sayori sat next to Tridon and grasped his left hand, "don't think like that. Don't do that. Please."

"What about you Sayori?"

"Huh?"

"Are you like the others? Only here because I was an enigma?"

"Tridon, what are you saying? You know that's not the case."

"You were only friends with me because I had nobody. Because I was an enigma. Was that just some big plot conjured by whoever you work for?!"

"Tridon!" Sayori stood up while Tridon slowly rose from the couch. Tridon slowly brandished his revolver and glared at Sayori, "Tridon. No…"

"Right now," Tridon pointed his revolver at her and said, "I can't take any chances."

Tridon fired his gun and in that split-second, Sayori's month of training kicked in. She ducked under and grabbed Tridon's arm. She tossed him over her shoulder and pinned him on the ground. She pressed her knee on his head and held him down.

"Stop this Tridon!" Sayori could see that Tridon's world crumble around him. She couldn't help but tear up. Tears fell from her face onto his while he had the look of a madman, "Stop…" She softly mumbled.

Tridon was wide-eyed while he watched his best friend breaking in front of him. His pupils were dilated, and he couldn't rationally. This wasn't the darkness in him. This was because of everything around him being a lie. He couldn't trust anything.

…

…

…

_But he could trust his best friend._

**NO!**

He can't trust anyone. Everyone he's known had ulterior motives while being acquainted with him. They used his easygoing personality to get close to him so that they could take one thing that made his life a living hell.

_But he could trust his best friend._

**STOP!**

The conflicting thoughts in his head. He wants to trust her, but he can't help but feel distrustful of those around him. Not even his family can be trusted. He can't trust anyone.

_Except his best friend._

The voice speaking to him. It was Sayori.

Tridon's vision darkened before he awoke in the same void he was when Tiffany helped him see past his darkness. Who stood in front of him was Sayori who still had tears in her eyes.

"I've been with you from the beginning. No matter how bad things were, I stuck with you. Not for anything so abstract in my mind such as a simple order. You know me better than that. We know each other like the back of our hands. That's because we're best friends."

"But-."

"Tridon," Sayori appeared behind Tridon and suplexed him, "this is what we're known for. These shenanigans are what separates us from everyone." Sayori mounted Tridon and stared into his eyes, "This is who we are. I'm not a stranger to you. Never was. Never will be. We are best friends, and nothing will change you idiot."

"Sayori…"

"Please, forgive Tiff for what she did. Hell, forgive Erica. Forgive everyone. This much hate and despair can't live in you forever. Just stop. Stop!"

Tridon's eyes shot open to see him on the floor. Sayori sat next to him with his revolver in her hands. She had it unloaded while her eyes were red from the tears she shed for him.

"Sayori," he quickly sat up and looked at her, "I'm so sorry."

"I know. You big idiot." Sayori embraced Tridon and sniffled a little.

Tridon slowly returned the embrace and sniffled too.

They held the embrace for what felt like forever. Sayori eventually broke to say, "Now come on. We have a prom to get to."

"B-But I don't have anything to wear."

"Did you really think I would forget?" Sayori quickly left his house and came back holding a tuxedo in her hands, "Now get it on. Everyone's waiting."

"Right!" Tridon ran off leaving Sayori alone in the living room. She smiled and teared up a little more.

"I should probably get ready too." Sayori laughed and walked off to get ready herself.

* * *

Moments later, Tridon and Sayori stood outside the party hall where people were walking in and out. The entire party hall, inside and out, was being used.

"You did pretty good setting this up Sayori."

"It needed a foundation." Sayori cooed, "A foundation set by my best friend." Sayori grabbed him by his arm and dragged him with her, "Now come on. The girls are waiting. Namely Natsuki." Sayori winked while Tridon blushed a little.

When they were inside, they were instantly seen by the girls. Tridon was taken aback by the girls in their dresses.

Monika's dress was an emerald green dress that reached just below her knees. It had one shoulder strap going down her left shoulder. It covered most of her chest but revealed enough for Tridon to see which is what Monika planned. Monika wore white high heels, but she struggled keeping her balance.

Yuri's dress was a midnight purple dress that was tight around her lower body. There were frills at the end of her skirt and her upper body was covered up nicely. The tightness showed off her curves really well which caught the eye of Tridon. She also wore black, low heels. Despite the fact they were low, she was still struggling to stand up.

Natsuki's was similar with the exception of her dress lacking frills and being loose rather than tight. Also, her dress was a red-pink combination and the shoulders were poofy. Natsuki wore flat, white shoes as she didn't want to look like Monika and Yuri. Who were practically baby deer trying to walk for the first time.

Tridon didn't acknowledge his own best friend who had dark red dress similar to Yuri's, just not as tight. She had one strap as well along with flat shoes as well. She had a combination of the three in some sort of way.

"Wow girls," Tridon spoke in shock, "you all look amazing."

"Do we Tridon," Monika inched closer and stood shoulder to shoulder with Tridon and continued, "or just me?" Monika knew what she was doing. She planted herself where he could see just into her cleavage, "See something you like?"

"I would be lying if I said I didn't."

Monika smiled brightly as she nudged closer to Tridon. He backed up a little and laughed nervously.

"I honestly don't know what to say." Tridon started, "Except that you all look amazing."

"Tridon," Sayori pulled Tridon down and whispered, "Natsuki would like to ask you something." Sayori shoved Tridon forward and caught Natsuki in the process.

They stumbled into the middle of the dance area and the two held each other. Sayori smiled and waved at them. Tridon looked at Natsuki and she looked at him.

"Sayori," Monika growled, "why did you do that?"

"Natsuki really wants a dance with Tridon. We might as well give it to her." Sayori's expression changed and she solemnly said, "Besides, I think we all know who he'll choose." Sayori looked around and asked, "Where's Chelsea by the way?"

"She's over by the snack table." Yuri answered, "Why?"

"I need to ask her something." Sayori waved the girls off while she moved to the snack table. She noticed Chelsea chilling by the snack table, "Hey Chelsea." Sayori called out.

"Hi Sayori. Did you manage to get Tridon back here?"

"Yeah. Things happened, but I was able to get him."

"Are you alright?"

"I think. It's just what happened just a few minutes ago. Tridon lost it."

"Well, he learned the truth about Tiff. I knew about that truth too. I mean, I did work for Robert at first. He wanted me to use that to break their relationship, but I never had a chance to."

"I didn't even know that about Tiff. I didn't meet Tiff until we got to high school. I thought she was fine but learning that she was originally supposed to kill Tridon is a hard pill to swallow."

"I bet it was for Tridon too. He trusts Tiff with all his heart. She was there for him when you weren't. To find out her original intentions before they changed is hard to believe. Makes you second guess who you've let into your life."

"That's what he said. It scared me. I thought he wasn't going to listen me."

"Well," Chelsea looked past Sayori to see both Tridon and Natsuki embracing one another and dancing, "I think you were able to fix him."

"So what do you plan to do after we graduate?"

"I'm not sure. I was hoping to attend Colorado State, but I don't know. Still figuring that out."

"Why not Lingston with us?"

"I wouldn't make it. I'm not academically gifted like Tridon who practically has a full-ride there if his football thing takes off. If not, he still academics to fall back on."

"Yeah." Sayori sighed and asked, "What do you think of my chance of getting into Lingston are?"

"Do you want the truth?"

"I'm guessing it's pretty harsh by how you ask that."

"It is."

"Great."

"You have a very slim chance to get in with grades. Unless you do their summer classes."

"Huh?"

"They hold summer classes for those who want a last chance to get in. Whether it's because they have the grades but lack the attendance to go. Maybe it's because their teachers are inept of preparing them for Lingston, or maybe they want to follow their best friend to the school."

"How hard is it?"

"An 8 week course that begins 2 weeks after graduation. All you have to do is be in their 5% percentile. They won't take everyone, but if you're that adamant about going to Lingston with Tridon, then I know for sure that you'll make. Of course with some help from everyone."

"Alright. Thanks Chelsea. Air hug." Sayori hugged the hair and skipped away while Chelsea smiled and laughed.

"So Tridon," Natsuki started while in his embrace, "tonight is when you'll be making your choice."

"Yeah."

"Any idea on who? Specifically a small, pink-haired friend of yours?"

"Natsuki."

"You and I have had the best chemistry since we met. We click."

"I know but…"

"What?"

"I don't know if I'm ready to make this type of choice. If I choose someone, 3 of you will be sad while one is happy. I can't live with that guilt."

"You can't make everyone happy Tridon."

"I wish I could." Tridon sighed. Tridon looked up to see Tiffany on her own. He broke apart from Natsuki and said, "Sorry Natsuki, but I need to set something straight with someone."

"Alright."

Tridon walked towards Tiffany who was off on her own. Her dress was a sparkly purple dress. It was tight and loose. Tight since it showed off her curves and loose as it didn't squeeze too much around her. She had poofy shoulders and she wore purple heels. She noticed Tridon walking towards her and avoided his gaze.

Tridon stood in front of her and looked at her. He didn't know what to say. He knows that Tiff can be trusted. She gave up her job at this company to protect him. One thing he wanted to confirm was if she was really an FBI agent.

"Hey Tiff."

"Tridon." She responded.

"Tell me this one thing. Are you really an FBI agent?"

"I am. It's how I had a team with me." Tiffany looked up and said, "Tridon, please. I didn't mean for you to lose trust in me. I only did it because it was an order given to me. But once I saw the type of kid you were, I knew that I had to protect you more than anything."

"It's alright." Tridon held his hand up and said, "I trust you. You've been there for me since I was a kid. Even if your intentions weren't as they seemed, I'm still able to say that I trust you Tiff."

"Tridon…"

Tridon smiled and added, "You also look amazing in that dress."

"Th-Thank you."

"Come on." Tridon held his hand out and said, "I can't leave you alone. You're a prime target for every senior here with a hyperactive libido."

"Y-Yeah…"

Tridon led her to the others where they continued on with their night. Everyone hung out until Erica walked in wearing a simple peach-colored dress with frills along the bottom of her sleeves and skirt. Eric had been waiting on his own wearing a simple tuxedo.

"There she is." Yuri pointed out, "How do you think it'll go?"

"Could go either way." Tridon explained, "They haven't seen each other physically since they were kids. My concern is how he feels towards me. He should know now that I'm not an enigma and shouldn't feel 'threatened' that I'm here."

"Maybe he's scared of the people you know." Monika growled, "I swear, if he tries anything…"

"Cool it Monika." Tridon sighed and watched the two.

"So it's been this long." Erica started, "Nearly 16 years since we've seen each other."

"Yeah." Eric fell silent and couldn't find anything to say.

"I heard you didn't really like Tridon when you first met him."

"He was an enigma. A freak."

"That's not why you hated him. You hated him because it was a social norm to hate enigmas. Not only that, but because he was different than most enigma. He was different than what the media told you about enigmas."

"Yes. I hated him because he was different from the stereotypes we were told about as kids. I know."

"Now, he's no longer an enigma."

"I know."

"Then tell me this. Do you still hate him?"

"I don't know how to feel about him. He seems to make Sayori happy. That's all I really want."

"That's good." Erica smiled and said, "My love him still holds true to me, but he won't reciprocate them anymore. I'll leave him to them. I'll help him when he needs it." Erica looked at her brother and said, "Let's get out of here and catch up. After I do something right quick." Erica made her way over to the group and grabbed Tridon. She pecked him on the cheek while whispering, "I'll watch over you forever. Make them happy." And with that, Erica and her brother left the group in shock at what she had just done.

Tridon held his cheek and laughed, "Alright. I might need it in the future."

* * *

Another hour into the prom, Tridon stood by the snack table while sipping on some punch. He sighed and walked off. Chelsea noticed this and asked him why he was leaving.

"Tridon." She called out, "Where are you going?"

"Just out. Remember, I'm not even into these proms. I'll see you later Chelsea." He turned around while walking off to add, "By the way, you look good Chels'!" Tridon waved her off and continued out the building.

He didn't go far. He just stood out in front of the entrance. He stared at the clear night sky. The stars shining bright made him feel nice. So much had happened. So much revealed. All for it to happen during his senior year. From there, life was finally going to be normal.

Well, despite the secrets that have been kept from him by others, but he can't let that cloud his mind. He has to know what's right.

"Bud!" Sayori shouted from behind him followed by the others, "What are you doing out here? The prom's back there."

"I'm ready."

"Huh?"

"Ready for what?" Natsuki asked, "The choice?"

"Yeah. I'm ready to make it." Tridon smirked and said, "But you'll have to catch me first!" Tridon jogged away from them making the girls groan.

"Wait Tridon!" Monika called out, "We can't move too well in heels!"

Monika and Yuri shuffled while trying to control their balance. Sayori and Natsuki tried to catch him, but they were failing to do so. Chelsea and Tiffany laughed while watching them run around.

Tridon eventually got too close to road. He stopped and turned around where he noticed Sayori ready to tackle him. He braced and was shoved back rather than tackled. However, everyone failed to notice a pickup truck driving on the road.

Tridon was shoved and the truck struck Tridon. The truck stopped as soon as Tridon was hit and the driver hopped out to checked on him. The others could only stare in shock at what just happened while Sayori slowly crawled forward and stared at her best friend's unconscious body.

Her eyes dilated and she shouted, "No!"

* * *

2 weeks later, Sayori sat in a hospital waiting room while hugging and crying into her knees. She repeated, "Tridon..." silently to herself as she cradled back and forth in the chair.

"You'll be fine, right Tridon?" Monika asked as she pushed Tridon out on a wheelchair, "You might have a concussion."

"No." Tridon responded, "Just a dislocated ankle, bruised ribs, and a broken arm." Monika frowned at him and he chuckled, "Sorry Monika." Tridon looked at Sayori and waved Monika to move him over to Sayori, "Stop crying you big baby."

"Well," Yuri started, "her best friend was hit by a car. So it's obvious she would be like this."

"Yeah." Natsuki sighed and said, "We're sorry for making you run out into the street like that."

"Oh it's fine. It was my fault for playing like that for my choice. I'm sorry." Tridon popped his neck and said, "It actually could've been worse. It could've been an 18-Wheeler." Sayori slowly stood up and walked over to Tridon.

She didn't say anything. She just stood there. She held her head down and this worried the girls.

"Uh," Tridon started, "I think Sayori should take me home. She can handle it from here."

"Okay." Monika softly answered, "If you need anything else, don't be afraid to call any of us, okay?"

"I got it." Tridon nodded to the girls who waved him off before leaving. Tridon looked at Sayori and asked, "Mind handing me the crutches Sayori?"

She didn't listen to him and picked him up. She moved under one of his arms and held him tightly making Tridon groan in pain.

Tridon looked off to the side towards one of the nurses walking around and asked, "Can you help me here?"

* * *

An hour later, Tridon eventually made it back to his house with Sayori still hugging him. He trudged towards his front door and sighed.

"Sayori, I need to get inside." Tridon looked down at Sayori who didn't even move a muscle. He sighed and took out his keys rather painfully. He opened the door and dragged Sayori with him upstairs. He stopped in front of his bathroom and shook his head.

"Can I at least use the bathroom. I'd like to wash my body." Sayori hugged even harder making Tridon groan more out of frustration, "Fine..." Tridon kicked the door to the bathroom open and trudged faster inside.

He started to wash his face and in the middle of drying, he gripped the face towel, balled his fist, and punched the mirror in front of him.

"Sayori! Let go!"

"No!"

"Snap," Tridon pulled Sayori off himself and shouted, "out of it!" However, Tridon tried to stabilize himself, but this caused him to fall onto the ground, "Just stop Sayori!" Tridon snapped, "Just stop this bullcrap!"

Sayori fell silent. She stood up and ran off. Tridon groaned and struggled to stand up. Once he did, he trudged downstairs and out his front door to see Sayori running into her house, leaving her door open in the process.

"Sayori!" Tridon tried walking but fell to the ground. He groaned loudly and gripped his ribs. He laid there while staring at the sky, "Damn it…" Tridon's vision faded. The amount of pain from injuries were still fresh even after 2 weeks of being in the hospital. Graduation was that week and he had just shouted at his friend when she was only worried about his well-being. She was only worried for him.

Just before his vision faded completely, he stopped himself from passing out. He grinded his teeth together as he turned onto his stomach and dragged his body towards her house. He powered through the pain as he got closer and closer.

He crawled past her front door and saw her sitting on her couch with the same scrapbook he flipped through a few weeks ago. She held it close while tears fell from her eyes.

"I thought I lost you." Sayori started, "My best friend that I've known my whole life. Unconscious on the ground from a truck I pushed you into."

"No. You didn't-."

"I pushed you. I knew you were just messing around and I pushed you. I almost killed my best friend."

"Stop Sayori." Tridon groaned and grabbed her wrist, "Stop." He pulled her in and embraced her, "It was just fun and games. I was just stupid enough to run close to the street. I only did that so I could ease the tension before I made the choice."

"Huh?"

"Now I'm ready."

"What?"

"Sayori," Tridon looked into Sayori's teary eyes and made the choice, "would you like to be my girlfriend?"

"Y-You…"

"I never thought it to be you, but the more time we spent with each other made me realize how much you mean to me. You know what to say to me. You know how to act around me. You make me feel complete and I thought it was just because you were my best friend, but there was just so much more."

"But our relationship-."

"Won't change. To be honest with, I'd love to be more intimate with you. After that time we slept together after I was hurt made me realize that I love being intimate with you. I love being with you. I love you Sayori. I love you."

"I-I…"

"Do you accept my confession?"

Sayori stared at the Tridon before avoiding gaze to say, "I-I…" She stuttered heavily. This made sweat falling down the back of her neck. She eventually shouted, "I don't know!"

"Huh?"

"I don't know if I can reciprocate your feelings!" Sayori ran off leaving Tridon alone.

"Why does she always run off. I can't move all too well." Tridon sighed and said, "Was it because of the atmosphere?" Tridon groaned and stared at her ceiling, "How am I getting back home? I can't feel my body."

* * *

The days past until the day of graduation came. Tridon was still Valedictorian and had so much on his mind before his big speech. His speech is a major problem as he hadn't even thought about what his speech would be. He hasn't written one at all because of everything that's happened over his senior year. He was expecting for Monika to start, but that's not going to happen.

Not to mention his confession to his best friend who has yet to recuperate his feelings. He's starting to think whether or not that he made the right choice by confessing to her out of the blue like that. Tridon was early to the graduation ceremony so that he could meet with Ms. White.

"Good morning Ms. White." Tridon greeted while walking in with a boot and cast around his injuries, "Nobody else is here?"

"No." Ms. White looked at Tridon and asked, "Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"I'm fine. The hospital took good care of me."

"I'm so sorry for what happened Tridon. I can't believe you were hurt on my watch."

"Technically, I'm on Tiff's watch, but I understand that I'm your student. It's no harm. No foul Ms. White."

"I'm just worried. I know how your mother and sister are."

"Trust me. They gave me an earful for what I did." Tridon laughed and sighed, "I'm just more worried about Sayori."

"Yeah. Her best friend hit like that is hard to forget. Especially when it happened just a few feet in front of you."

"I don't think it's just that." Tridon paused and exhaled deeply, "I made my choice."

"Was it her?"

"Yeah, but she said she didn't know if she was ready to reciprocate those feelings. I thought she would be, but maybe I don't know my best friend like I thought I did."

"Maybe your confession was just too out of the blue. Especially after such a tragedy. Maybe her heart was pumping too fast and her mind was all over the place. I ensure you that she was ecstatic about your choice, but so much had happened that she didn't know how to assess it."

"I hope you're right."

"I know I'm right. I didn't become the principal this year by luck." Ms. White winked and said, "You should probably get to work on your speech."

"Right." Tridon sighed and sat down somewhere, "My speech…"

* * *

2 hours later, the rest of the students arrived and Tridon was nowhere to be found. Sayori stood in her gown still thinking about his confession. She was happy, but could she accept it? She thought about how their relationship would change and if they would remain the same. She knows they would, but not enough to warrant running away before answering him.

"Sayori," Yuri started, "you need to tell him."

"I can't." Sayori groaned, "We've been friends our whole lives. I don't know how to feel about it at all."

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Chelsea questioned, "Granted, it's what all of you wanted, but Sayori, you definitely have the knack for being his girlfriend."

"As much I hate the choice," Monika growled, "it was quite obvious he would choose you in the end."

"You need to answer him." Natsuki smiled at Sayori and looked into her eyes, "Go find your best friend and future boyfriend."

"Not right now girls." Ms. White interrupted, "it's time to make the walk outside." She chuckled lightly and said, "Tridon is already behind the stage ready to deliver his speech."

* * *

After everyone was situated, Tridon psyched himself up before he went on stage. He took some deep breaths and sighed. He stood behind the curtain and stared at the ground.

"Now that all of you have been seated. It's time for your class Valedictorian to give his speech. He has been waiting for the moment to give his speech. He came early this morning to prepare for it. So please give your attention to Tridon Pierce."

Tridon nodded and walked onto the stage without a packet of paper in his hands which confused some people. He took his place in front of the podium and looked at his class.

"My fellow students today is a most important day. Today marks the day we take a big step. A big step towards adulthood. We've gone through 13-14 years of primary schooling to get to this day of our lives where we can go forward with it. Either through the work force, the military, or secondary schooling. No matter what you do, this is your big step. Your big step that's been long awaited. As for me, my big step was undetermined until the other day. Throughout my life, I had to live through adversity. Why? Because I was an enigma."

There was an audible gasp from the crowd. Some people murmured. Many were heard bastardizing him for being an enigma, but they didn't hear the keyword: **WAS**.

"Now I say 'Was' because I was managed to throw my power away so that I could live my life normally without having to hide who I really was. I've always wanted to make friends. I've always wanted to become the school's top sporting prospect. I used to always think 'Wow, I wish I could be like those kids who get to hangout after school'. But that was all a pipe dream for my whole life. Forced to hide who I was and to live in obscurity because of who I was born as. There were moments in my life where I thought if living in prejudice obscurity was really worth it. Was it worth living a life where people fear you? A world where people bastardized someone because of something they didn't even have control over. Something was thrusted upon them. It was hard to cope with. That was until I joined the Literature Club."

Tridon searched for his former clubmates and smiled at them when he did find them, "They showed me that there were people out there who were accepting of an awkward, boisterous enigma who was suplexed nearly every day by his best friend. They were able to cope with me being something that was frowned upon by the general public. They didn't care. I thought it was out of pity at first. Until I realized that they were doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. When I realized this, I fell in love with them." Tridon chuckled and said, "This threw them into my life to deal with the problems I deal with on a daily basis."

Tridon sighed and continued, "I went through so much to get to where I am today. A lot of adversity. A lot of pain. Way too much pain. Pain for me. Pain for my family. Pain for my friends. Namely my best friend. I never wanted them to go through all of that. I wanted to do it all on my own. Just so I wouldn't drag anyone down with me. But no matter what I did, they were always there at my side. They showed me that no matter what you try to do, someone will always be there to offer you a helping hand. You might hate it. You might even fight it. But no matter what you do; help with always be there when its needed most. I want everyone to go through life with that lingering in your heads. Because trust me. Things will get better. They did for me. I might not look it with a broken body, but things will get better. If I can break from the life of being an enigma, then all of you can push through whatever endeavors you may face. Life might bring you down to your lowest point, but your lowest point might be your highest to skyrocket you to new heights. So I end with this one last question. This question to my best friend who's been there for me from the very beginning. Who kept me in check and who made me who I am today."

Tridon shifted his glance to Sayori and smiled warmly at her, "Sayori, do you accept my confession?"

Sayori's eyes watered before she even realized they were. People gasped while some lightly cheered. She covered her mouth and sniffled a little. Her eyes glistened as she thought through everything they've gone through. From the very beginning of their friendship, to the club, and their war against Robert. She loves him. She can't live without him.

Sayori stood up and ran towards him yelling and repeating, "I do!" Sayori jumped onto the stage and jumped again to tackle Tridon for a massive hug. Tridon didn't even care about the pain. He was happy his best friend was now his girlfriend.

The crowd erupted with cheers. Tridon's family watched on pleased. Namely his mom, "Good choice honey." She looked at Lucy and said, "I'm glad you told who he would choose."

"Did you really think I would keep that hidden from you? Those two were made for each other."

"Well," Natsuki started, "it was kinda obvious who it would be in the end."

"I thought you had a chance Natsuki." Yuri laughed, "It hurts my heart, but aren't we glad he's happy now? This is what we've all really wanted. For that warm, **REAL** smile to return to his face."

"Our jovial, weird, loud boy is back." Monika sighed, "Welcome back Tridon. Please don't go away again."

"Great job Pierce." Tiffany nodded while clapping and being joined by his mom and Lucy, "You made the right choice."

"Live a happy life you two." Erica said while with Eric looking on from a far away hill, "We'll be watching over to make sure no danger comes to any of you. Stay safe and live happy." And like that, the two were gone in the gusts of the wind.

* * *

Later that night at Tiffany's retirement party, Tridon and all of his friend attended Tiffany's party at her new lavish estate. It was massive. Big enough to hold the party and everyone to figure out where the new couple was at.

Tridon and Sayori stood out on one of her balconies that was in the moon's bright gleam. The bright stars filled the night sky while the two stood out there. Tridon held Sayori from behind while the two were in true romantic bliss.

"I'm sorry I didn't respond when you first confessed. So much was going through my mind at that moment that your confession just sent me over the edge."

"It's fine. It was my fault for yelling at you when you were just worried for my well-being. I'm so sorry for that."

"It's fine. I'm just glad I finally get to be with you forever not only as your best friend, but as your girlfriend and as your future wife."

"Next step is Lingston and those summer courses for you."

"I will do whatever I can to be with you Tridon."

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure you get in. Even if I'm at their summer football camp, I will fight tooth and nail to get you into Lingston."

"I'm so glad I met you Tridon."

"I'm so glad I met you too Sayori."

"I love you."

Tridon turned Sayori around and responded, "I love you too."

They stared into each other's eyes. The moon glistening off them while they inched closer. Their lips puckered the closer they got. They could feel their warm breaks on each other's face as they inched oh-so closer.

"Hey!" Monika shouted causing them to break apart, "This is Tiff's party! Why'd you two run off in the middle of it."

"Oh let them be Monika." Tiffany chuckled, "They deserve this, don't they?" Tiffany walked over to them and gave them two of the wine glasses she held in her hands, "But they do need to be here for the toast. Everyone gather around!"

Everyone gathered around holding their wine glasses. Tiffany turned around and said to Tridon to ask, "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Of course." Tridon walked towards the front with Sayori in his arms and said, "Today marks a new beginning for us. Not as friends, but as a family. We've had a lot ups and downs. But today marks the day that we were managed to push through our chaotic last year. Things will only be better from here. I know that for a fact. Let this toast signal our new age. An age of peace!" Tridon toasted the air and so did everyone.

"Whoo!"

Behind them, multiple fireworks went off of multiple colors and designs. Everyone watched in amazement as they filled the nightly sky. In the distance, Epsilon nodded and smiled.

"Happy adventures Tridon. My rival. We will meet again. Hopefully, under better circumstances." And with that, he disappeared as well.

"Well," Tridon started while looking at the girls, "things will only go up from here. Or not."

"Probably not." They said in unison.

"Oh well, but we had fun to this very day."

"Right."

"To us."

"To us." They repeated while taking a sip and observing the fireworks show to end off their amazing school adventures.

**THE END…**

…

…

**Or Is It?**


	56. 8 Years Later -Epilogue-

Tridon woke up and stretched. He looked to his side to see Sayori sleeping soundly next to him. He pecked her on her cheek and sighed in bliss.

"Gotta go to work sweetie." Tridon stood up from the bed and attempted to walk to the closet, but he was stopped, "Huh?"

"Did you really think you could escape _my_ kiss to you?" Sayori growled before pulling Tridon back onto the bed, mounting, and attacking Tridon with a flurry of kisses. Sayori continued kissing him before collapsing on his chest, "You can't sneak a kiss like that and expect to get out without me giving you some kisses."

"Haha..." Tridon wrapped his arms around Sayori and chuckled, "You're so adorable."

"It's something only your wife/best friend can be." Sayori snuggled into his chest more and started to undress him, "Now I want something else before you go."

"Whoa there." Tridon stopped Sayori and sat up, "You know it's a big day at the company today. I have to announce our next big project. I can't be late."

"Mmm..." Sayori groaned and hugged him, "You've been staying at your job almost until 11 o'clock at night. I know this project is big for you, but can't you find more time for your wife?"

"You know there's nothing I love more than you, but this project could be big for not only the company, but for us too." Tridon lifted Sayori's face by her chin and gave her one massive kiss on her lips. He broke apart and stared into her eyes, "After the project is over, all my time will be devoted to you."

"Then I want hours of love time with you." Sayori wrapped her arms around Tridon and said, "I won't let you rest at all."

"I won't let you rest either." Tridon booped Sayori on her nose just as his phone started ringing. Sayori picked it up for him and looked at who was calling, "Who is it?"

"It's Yuri. Probably wondering why you aren't there yet."

"Let me answer it." Sayori pressed the call button and handed it Tridon, "Yeah Yuri?"

"You're late." She responded, "Everyone's waiting."

"Late?" Tridon looked over at their alarm clock and his eyes widened, "Sayori..."

"Yeah?"

"Did you set the alarm?"

Sayori thought to herself for a second and shook her head, "No..."

"Oh no." Tridon hopped out of his bed and tripped on himself, "Everyone is already there and I have nothing in right now!" Tridon ran to the closet and threw off his clothes and snatched his briefcase, "I gotta go!" Tridon was about to leave the house but he quickly ran back into the room.

"Your pants are here." Sayori held up his pants and Tridon quickly took them, "Drive safe!"

"I will! I love you!"

And with that Tridon was gone. Sayori sighed and walked over to their bedroom bathroom. She looked at the sink and picked up a pregnancy test. She smiled and hugged it.

"I can't wait to tell him..."

* * *

Tridon ran into a medium-sized building and tripped into one of the offices of it. He fell face first right in front of Yuri.

"Good morning Tridon."

"I'm sorry I was late." Tridon said while still having his face in the ground. He quickly rose up and nodded, "But I'm here."

"Everyone is already in the conference room."

"Thanks Yuri." Tridon quickly stood up and dusted himself off, "Well, let's get to it."

"Let's." Yuri smiled and nodded before following Tridon into the conference room, "Our boss is finally here." Yuri called out.

"Boss!" Everyone cheered.

"How's everyone doing." Tridon walked towards the front, shaking hands and fist bumping with his employees while walking by, "Sorry for being late. My wife forgot to set my alarm so I slept in a little."

"I think you deserver it boss." A man responded, "You work late here. You definitely deserve it."

"Oh come on Braxton." Tridon laughed.

"No really Mr. Pierce." A dark-skinned man agreed, "There's no doubt that you deserve time off."

"Yeah, but who will lead Arthur?"

"Ahem." Yuri loudly cleared her chest and said, "Hi Tridon."

"Yes Mr. Pierce." A woman said rather softly, "Ms. Yuri has done extremely well whenever you would call out sick."

"Well, that's why I chose her as my business partner. We're an unbeatable team. Been so since high school." Tridon loudly clapped his hands and said, "Alright, now you know last year's End Of The Year issue did relatively well. It's what garnered great local attention. However, I'm thinking bigger this year."

"How so?" The dark-skinned man wondered.

"Good question Arthur." Tridon sat at the end of the conference and said, "A good question that I don't have the answer to. I want to get national attention for our company. Any ideas?"

"Laura said she had an idea." Yuri answered, "Right Laura?"

"Y-Yes sir." Laura quickly stood up while holding several rolls of poster boards. However, she tripped and fell face first onto the ground causing all of the poster to fly all over the place, "Ow..."

"Anyone else?" Tridon quickly started.

Yuri walked over to Laura and helped her, "Sorry Laura. You tried at least."

"Thank you Yuri..."

* * *

Later that day during a break, Laura was picking up her posters while Yuri watched her, "Are you okay Laura?" She asked.

"I am..."

"You tried at least Laura. Usually you fall before even standing."

"I just wish I wasn't so nervous around him." Laura groaned while standing back up, "I know he has a wife now. My school-girl crush just can't control itself."

"He also has a kid on the way."

"W-What?!"

"Shhh." Yuri quickly covered her mouth and said, "He doesn't know. We're having a baby reveal later tonight at his house. He doesn't know about it."

"Gosh. So early into their marriage."

"Yeah, but they've been a couple since they graduated high school."

"I remember. 8 years ago. To think they have so much chemistry to be with each all through college until now."

"They were also best friends, so being a couple just adds to their relationship."

Laura chuckled and asked, "The boss has quite the knack for sleeping in. Both him and his wife."

"Oh gosh. I can't ever forget the panic they had on the day of their wedding."

* * *

A year and a half earlier, Tridon and Sayori were running around their house in a frenzy while their friends watched.

"How could we oversleep on the biggest day of our lives!" Tridon shouted.

"I don't know! I for sure thought I set the alarm!"

"1 hour until the ceremony and we aren't even dressed. We're too busy panicking right now!"

"You two need to stop panicking and get to dressing." Monika laughed, "Panicking isn't going to help."

"We can't stop panicking!"

Natsuki sighed and said, "Yuri, Monika, you handle Sayori. I'll handle the boy." Natsuki tackled Tridon and dragged him away.

"Girls," Sayori started, "I'm nervous for the day."

"How are you nervous?" Natsuki asked back to Tridon who said the same thing Sayori said, "You guys have been waiting on this day forever."

"I know," Sayori answered just as Tridon answered, "but it's just stressful that this day is finally here."

"Maybe try and to take deep breaths in and out." Yuri offered.

"Okay."

Both Tridon and Sayori breathed in and out repeatedly before screaming, "I have took some deep breaths and now I feel relaxed!"

"They are without a doubt the same people." The girls laugh in unison.

* * *

Laura laughed as well while saying, "Those two are absolutely adorable."

"Hello girls," Tridon interrupted, "talking about me?" Tridon crossed his arms while leaning on the doorframe, "Or are you discussing ideas for our final magazine issue?"

"Just talking Mr. Pierce." Laura softly replied.

"Well, I'm planning on leaving early today. I really need a break."

"O-Oh Tridon," Yuri interrupted, "Why don't you go stop by the school. I heard Monika said that there's a field day at our old high school with fun activities including football. Why don't you go try it out."

"Hm," Tridon nod and say, "sure thing. It'll be good to the ole legs churring again. Braxton! Arthur!" He shouted, "Come on you two. We gonna go play some football!"

When he was gone, Laura asked, "Why'd you tell him that?"

"Sayori is making it's a surprise baby reveal party."

"Oh. How do you think the boss will react?"

"Hard to say."

* * *

Tridon, Braxton, and Arthur arrived to the back of a school and saw the entire school body spread around the football field. Tridon stopped a moment and took a deep breath.

"What's wrong boss?" Arthur asked.

"I haven't been here in 8 years. Some bad things happened to me while attending this high school. I find it weird that this field day is being held here."

"The local middle school always has its field day here." Arthur responded, "My daughters love the field day."

"One day I'll have a kid running around at this field day. It'll be a good excuse to take part in it."

"So how's your wife now boss?" Braxton asked, "How's the marriage life?"

"Still the same as it was when we first said our vows." Tridon sighed and scratched the back of his head, "But we have yet to have our honeymoon."

"Aren't honeymoons taken immediately after the wedding ceremony?"

"It's the work for the company." Tridon answered, "A lot of my personal time is spent at the building, so we haven't found time to properly plan and go on a honeymoon."

"Looks like you guys still get a little spicy in bed since-." Before Braxton could finish, Arthur slapped the back of his head, "Ow!"

"Shut it Brax."

"Ah geez..."

"Anyway," Tridon started, "how's your girlfriend doing Braxton?"

"I'm planning on proposing after this issue goes out. After that, I'll take her on a wonderful cruise around the Mediterranean."

"Nice." Tridon laughed, "Sayori said she's always wanted to go to Korea."

"North or South?" Braxton quickly asked.

"What do you think?!" Tridon firmly answered while slapping the back of his head, "Either that or Japan. Hopefully if this End Of Year Issue does well, I can do that."

"Don't worry boss." Braxton reassured Tridon by putting his arm around him, "We'll make sure this is the best issue ever!"

"That's right." Arthur responded, "We'll be working our asses off to help you Mr. Pierce."

"Thanks guys. Kinda wish we had more employees rather than it just be the 5 of us."

"We make it work." Braxton laughed, "We've been in business for 2 years, haven't we?"

"Yeah, but I kinda wish Laura had a little more confidence in herself."

"She's new." Arthur added, "You hired her only a few months ago."

"She was fresh out of college with her Journalism Degree. So it was smart hire." Braxton smirked and said, "She's just distracted by her crush on our boss."

"She knows I have a wife. I guess it's because she's finally on her own. Remember, she lived with her parents all through her university life."

"It worked out in the end." Arthur stated, "Ah well. Let's get to this field day."

* * *

Natsuki owned a bakeshop 8 years later. A bakeshop that her friends come to every other day. Natsuki handed off a cake to a customer just as the phone rang.

"Just a moment." She said to her customer that just walked up. She picked up the phone and said, "Natsuki's Bakery, how can I help you."

"Natsuki," Sayori started, "is the cake ready for tonight?"

"It's already in the oven. It should be decorated and ready to consume at the baby reveal tonight."

"Oh I can't wait. I hope we're ready for a kid."

"You two will do fine. I just know that if it's a girl, Tridon is going to be overprotective of her."

"And if it's a boy, I'll be overprotective of him."

"Anyway Sayori, I need to get back to work. I'll see you later tonight."

"Alrighty!"

* * *

Meanwhile at the high school, Tridon watched the kids have fun while Braxton stuffed his face with some of the food they were serving and Arthur was with his 2 daughters.

"Enjoying yourself Tridon?" Monika asked while walking up to him.

"I mean, it's something to take my mind of the company for a second. Things have been hectic."

"How so?"

"Had to take another loan out after the issue we put out 2 months ago. That didn't help us break even. Last month's issue helped us break even, but not enough to keep a float."

"Running a local magazine company in this small town is hard. You're the only one that's been in business longer than a year."

"I don't know how much longer though."

"Do you need some... you know."

"Maybe later." Tridon looked at Monika and asked, "So have kept up with the training you went through 8 years ago?"

"A little. You?"

"Me and Sayori. I swear, Sayori is a natural at combat and military training."

"You've had to get a little bit back into it after losing your powers, right?"

"That's right. But it's fine. It was an excuse to work out."

"I can tell." Monika laughed and looked at Tridon, "How long do you plan to hide it from her?" Tridon looked off making Monika sigh, "She has to know at some point."

"I can't tell her."

"Hiding it from her will make it worse when you do tell you."

"I'm afraid."

"Tridon..."

"I don't want her to regret marrying me." Tridon felt his phone vibrate and he answered it, "Hello?"

"Hey sweetie," Sayori started, "I called the building and Laura said you were out."

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"Oh, I wanted to ask if you could stop by Natsuki's to get something special I ordered."

"I can. What is it?"

"Oh nothing. Don't peak at it."

"Now I have to look at it."

"No!" Sayori shouted, "Do it or your sleeping in the shed tonight."

"You wouldn't do that."

"You're right. I wouldn't. But please don't look at it. Pretty please?"

"Alright babe. I won't. C'ya." Tridon hung up his phone and noticed Monika staring at the ground, "Sorry for talking like that around you. I know you girls are still trying to cope with not being my wife or something like that."

"Well, hanging out with you was always fun and a top priority." Monika smiled, "Nobody just couldn't stay away from your energy. They loved it."

"It helped attract people and even help Yuri break out of her shell. Now look at Yuri. Vice-President of Pierce Magazines! She's been a damn good VP too. Especially with helping with a lot of paperwork."

"You've... you know? Done that with her?"

"I have."

"And Natsuki?"

"Yeah."

"Then you have to tell Sayori."

"I can't Monika. I can't find it in my heart to do it. I can't think about how she would react. It scares me. What if she wants a divorce?"

"The longer you hide, the higher that chance is."

"Ugh..." Tridon slumped forward and swore to himself, "Damn it..."

* * *

Later after the field day, Tridon was leaving with Monika and Braxton, "So Braxton," Monika started, "what do you plan to do after your honeymoon?"

"If our End Of Year Issue does well, then I'm sure as hell moving into Tridon's neighborhood. A nice quaint home for my future-wife and I to start a family."

"That's sweet. I kinda wish Tridon and Sayori lived in his old house. So many memories in that house."

"I still own the house." Tridon interrupted, "It's just being used by my sister."

"How is your sister by the way?" Braxton asked, "Last I remember, she tackled you, kissed you endlessly, and ended up breaking her arm."

"She's doing fine. Her arm is all healed up now. There's no problem there."

"That's cool." Braxton looked around and asked, "Can you drop me back off at the office building boss?"

"Yeah sure. I gotta head that anyway. Gotta pick up something that my wife told me to get."

"Alright cool."

"And you Monika?"

"I'll be heading home on my own. I have something planned tonight."

"Okay. C'ya later Monika."

"Bye."

Once Monika left Tridon and Braxton, Tridon clicked his tongue and sighed, "This sucks."

"What?"

"I've done some things that are typically frowned on in our day and age."

"Oh. Yeah I heard."

"What? From who?"

"VP."

"Damn it Yuri."

"But I think it's fine. Things have been stressful for you. I know."

"I don't know how long we'll stay afloat." Tridon solemnly started, "If this issue doesn't go through well, then I'll have to disband the company."

"Ah man. I don't want that. Don't worry boss. We'll make this issue the best in the world!"

"Yeah." Tridon smiled and laughed, "Alright let's get going."

* * *

After Tridon dropped Braxton off, he stood outside Natsuki's bakery. He smacked his lips and crossed his arms. He shook his head and walked inside. Natsuki was on her phone when she noticed him walk in.

"Hey there Tridon." She greeted, "Here for the pick up?"

"Yup." Tridon walked up to the counter and looked around, "Closing shop?"

"Yeah. For the night at least. Already sold everything and the only pick up left is yours."

"Alrighty."

"I'll get it for you." Natsuki walked and continued talking from the back, "Monika texted me about you being at the local middle school field day."

"I was. Didn't do much. I did convince the teachers to race me."

"Did you burn them?"

"Burning them would be an understatement."

"Monika too?"

"Her too." Tridon laughed and asked, "So what is this special pick up?"

"No." Natsuki walked out with a cake box and said, "Didn't Sayori tell you not to look."

"But I gotta know."

"No Tridon."

"Fine." Tridon slumped forward and leaned on the counter, "I wonder what it is. I wanna take a guess that it's a cake."

"Yeah, but there's more to it." Natsuki lightly chuckled and said, "By the way, you should come here more. The others hate it when you skimp out."

"Things have been absolutely stressful lately. The last thing I think about are your pastries."

"That sounds like an insult."

"Sorry. It's been rather hard the last few months."

"I heard. Yuri told me a few days ago about the problems in the company."

"It's hard."

"Things will get better Tridon." Natsuki placed her hand on Tridon's shoulders and squeezed, "They'll get better."

"I hope they do."

* * *

On the drive back to his home, Tridon stopped when he saw groups of people walking around the streets. Nothing was off about any of them until he noticed a certain symbol on the back of some the clothes they wore.

He couldn't make it out, but they were all similar, "Stupid gangs. Have no idea why they're created." One group in particular saw him drive by and stared him down. Tridon noticed this through their rearview and shook his head, "It might be more than just a street gang."

* * *

When he arrived at his house, he noticed the lights off. He seemed confused and checked his phone, "It's 6:30. She should be either in our room or the kitchen. Why are the lights off?" Tridon took out his keys and opened the door. He stepped inside and called out, "Sayori? Babe? Why are the lights off?"

He took one more step and the lights flicked on to have Sayori, Monika, Natsuki, Yuri, Braxton, Arthur, and Laura shouting, "Surprise!"

Tridon stood confused and said, "It's not my birthday."

"No sweetie." Sayori took Tridon's arm and dragged him to their dining room table, "Open the cake box now."

"Uh." Tridon slowly opened the box while looking at Sayori who had an ear to ear smile on her face. He looked down when he opened it and his eyes widened, "You're pregnant!" Tridon shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I can't believe it!" Sayori hugged Tridon while he held her in the air, "We're finally going to be parents!"

"I-I don't know what to say..."

"Oh my gosh." Sayori said with tears in her eyes, "We're gonna have to think of names, gender reveals, baby showers, and-."

"Sayori, babe, chill." Tridon grabbed a hold of Sayori's shoulders and shook her, "I-I can't believe I'm gonna be a dad."

"Congratulations boss." Braxton said while putting him in a chokehold, "I better become your kid's godfather."

"My kids can't wait to see your kid when it's born." Arthur smiled, "They'll be able to play with someone else for a change."

"Mr. Pierce," Laura started, "I just know for sure that you'll be a great father. I know for a fact."

"Maybe your kid can help me at the bakery when they're older." Natsuki cooed, "Could always use a helping hand there."

"Oh," Monika squealed, "I can't wait to get them in my class!"

"Tridon," Yuri started, "you can finally get a use out of that extra room you have."

"Oh hello little brother!" Behind them, the front door flew open with Lucy and their mom walking through. Lucy paused and groaned, "Ah man. The pregnancy reveal was today? I coulda' swore you said next week Sayori."

"I just couldn't wait. Sorry Lucy."

"Oh it's fine." She groaned while grabbing Tridon, "I get to be an Aunt!"

"And I'm finally a grandmother because my other child only thinks of her brother."

"Hehe..." Lucy chuckled nervously.

"Still, it's hard to believe that we'll finally be parents." Tridon said in disbelief, "What if I'm not ready?"

"Oh don't say that." Sayori cupped Tridon's cheeks and pecked him on the lips, "We'll be great parents. I know it for a fact." Sayori quickly turned and looked at the cake, "But right now, I'm eating that cake." Sayori grabbed a massive piece and dug into the piece of cake.

This is where Tridon's next story will start to take off...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End to Those Times: Complete Edition! Now everyone can properly catch up to Flames Of War. This took several, several hours to re-line and upload. It was mostly boring, so I took multiple breaks because it was just boring to do it. Got tired of scrolling through and re-adding the lines for transitions. It was nice to read certain chapters again. I'm sure everyone could I got lazy with the lines and just guessed where I put them last.
> 
> Anyway, this will allow people to properly catch to Flames Of War and it'll give me time to work on other stories as this is up. Heck yeah!


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